Tennis: Not Just a Sport
Discourse Analysis Project
Our world today contains extremely diverse populations of people who all have different passions and values. Everyone participates in their own unique hobbies and specialties. The specialties I am referring to are defined as Discourses by James Paul Gee in his article entitled Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction. He explains Discourses in depth and expresses the significance of mastering them. He states,
“Thus, what is important is not language, and surely not grammar, but saying (writing)-doing-being-valuing-believing combinations. These combinations I call Discourses with a capital D” (Gee 6).
What Gee means here is that depending on the specific Discourse, certain aspects and combinations must be mastered in order to be a part of that Discourse.
The Game
A particular Discourse that I am a member of is a sport played worldwide and followed by many. Tennis is a sport that values honesty and links specialized language, distinct motor skills, rules, and many other components together to aid in defining it as a Discourse. I hope to justify tennis as a Discourse throughout my analysis by using the International Tennis Federation Rules of Tennis 2015, a glossary of tennis terms from tennis101.com, the MPA Tennis Rulebook, and Gee’s seven building tasks which are introduced by Darcy A. Fiano in her article called Primary Discourse and Expressive Oral Language in a Kindergarten Student. These artifacts contain information that becomes very useful in clarifying the specifics of my Discourse.
Tennis is a sport played with a racquet between two people (singles) or four people in teams of two (doubles). Players use the racquet to hit the bright green ball back and forth over a net until a person makes an error. An error could include hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net. The person or team to return the ball last inside the court will receive the point.
Advanced Play
Once the basics of tennis are learned, many types of shots and serves can be learned to improve play. “Chip Shot: A soft dipping shot hit with a backspin that just drops over the net. Often employed to return a serve, it’s similar to a drop shot, but is most often used when the opponent is positioned at the net, thereby forcing a difficult return shot” (tennis 101).
Masters of this Discourse usually like to advance their playing by picking up many shots like the one described on Tennis 101. This artifact can be helpful in learning new shots and learning the language used in the game. It contains a glossary of tennis terms which define the jargon that goes along with the sport.
One thing about tennis that makes it unique is its specialized language. It not only carries players through the game, but it sets tennis apart from other Discourses. The significance of word usage in Discourses is explained by Darcy Fiano in her article. She says,
“Words not only have different meanings in different contexts of use but also vary across different social and cultural groups.” (Fiano 66).
For example, the word “love” to most people means passion, but to a tennis player “love” means zero. It is used to state that a player has zero points. To be a member of a certain Discourse is to know what these types of terms mean, and how to put them to use.
Categorizing
Tennis can be more precisely defined than just calling it a Discourse. Gee uses subcategories that branch off of the general Discourse to further explain what it really is. He would label tennis as something called a non-dominant secondary Discourse. “Non-dominant Discourses are secondary Discourses the mastery of which often brings solidarity with a particular social network, but not wider status and social goods in the society at large” (Gee 8).
This type of Discourse is usually learned after the first Discourses that we would learn in life and build off of our primary Discourses. Unlike dominant Discourses, they do not acquire money, prestige, and status. I would categorize tennis as this type of Discourse because it is not a dominant Discourse and because it certainly has brought solidarity to me and my high school tennis team. It has helped me grow as a person in ways beyond just hitting a ball back and forth. Without this feeling of solidarity, I wouldn’t continue to play the sport. One minor thing that never fails to elate me in tennis is putting the ball where my opponent can’t return it.
“Kill — to “put the ball away” and end the point.” (Tennis 101).
The feeling gained from shots like these help to show that solidarity and gratification is existent rather than money or prestige.
Not Just a Hobby
The game of tennis is played and enjoyed by a wide variety of people. It develops skills such as communication, stamina, and coordination. It also brings people together and builds connections with others that partake in the sport. All of the elements that are incorporated in tennis help define it as a Discourse.
In order to play tennis in a correct manner, one must use the combinations discussed by Gee’s definition of Discourse. For example, a saying/valuing combination can be exemplified by a piece of language from the Maine Principals’ Association Tennis Rulebook. “An angry refutation of an opponent’s call is just like saying “You’re a cheater” for everyone to hear” (MPA Tennis Rulebook).
Ethics
As a tennis player (a non-professional tennis player), you are the line judge. Each player determines if the ball is in play or not in play. To call whether the ball is in or out honestly is up to the player, but it is ethical to call them fairly. This idea helps prove tennis as a Discourse through one of Gee’s building tasks: politics. The politics express what is good, correct, or proper to do or say in the Discourse. Most members who are serious about tennis value honesty and use it when calling the ball, while some ignore the rules. Honesty is highly valued at my level of play because without it, the game would lack sportsmanship and become unenjoyable. If honesty became absent in the game, then the solidarity it brings would slowly disappear as well.
One artifact I chose to use to explore some specifics about the Discourse I am in was the International Tennis Federation Rules of Tennis 2015. It makes it clear what is and is not acceptable in the Discourse of playing tennis. Each rule stated in the book is a significant piece of language to be familiar with in order to be a master of the Discourse. The artifact is accurate because it is updated yearly by a committee who monitor the game regularly. Each of these rules is an important factor to the game. When all of these rules are learned thoroughly and are able to be practiced in the correct way, the Discourse can be acquired.
One of Gee’s seven building tasks of Discourse analysis asks how the piece of language is significant. I think that the rulebook would be a significant artifact one could could use to learn the rules of tennis, but not the mechanics. The rule book is also very relevant because as you become more and more serious in the sport, the rules become more and more important. “The players shall change ends at the end of the first, third, and every subsequent odd game of each set.” (ITF Rules of Tennis 7). This rule may not seem serious when thinking about it, but can be a major factor because of certain conditions. There can be times playing outdoor tennis when the sun or wind can hinder a tennis player’s ability to perform as they normally would. This shows that small things like this rule can be more important than they seem.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Along with the rulebook, masters of the Discourse can play a large role in a pupil’s learning stages. I learned to play the game through apprenticeship with a master of tennis. Gee introduces apprenticeship as
“enculturation into social practices through scaffolded and supported interaction with people who have already mastered the Discourse.” (7).
Learning by practicing with the guidance of an experienced tennis player is much more productive than trying to learn other ways. These people are usually very helpful in learning the Discourse because they have been through the same situation themselves.
The saying “practice makes perfect” is especially applicable to tennis. It takes a player months to learn to hit a new serve or stroke and even longer to become comfortable enough to use it in competition. The acquisition of a Discourse will vary depending on what it may be, but most of the time it is not something that is learned overnight.
Discourses aren’t something that you can become part of by a snap of your fingers, but are worth the work. They bring out qualities of people that may not appear otherwise. The Discourse of tennis involves so many aspects that categorize it as a Discourse and not just a hobby. It incorporates particular rules, skills, and a vocabulary that bring people together into a community of its own. Being a part of differing Discourses shapes who we become as people throughout our lives.
