Czym jest psyche podwładnych dla jej znawców? Benjamin Lee Whorf, pojęcie sposobu rozpatrywania i problem uprzedmiotowienia
What Is Subordinates’ Psyche for Experts in It? Benjamin Lee Whorf, the Notion of the Way of Considering, and the Problem of Objectification

Summary/Abstract: This paper argues that discourse studies could benefit from using some of the concepts fostered by Benjamin Lee Whorf. Whorf is not a typical inspiration for discourse analysts. However, Whorf’s elaborations on the segmentation of experience could contribute to the thematization of important phenomena in the modern culture. Yet, the concept of segmentation cannot be straightforwardly borrowed from Whorf’s ethnolinguistics. It has to be substantially respecified so that it can become useful for modern public discourse studies. As a result of such a respecification, a concept of ‘the way of considering’ is introduced. Next, an example of textual analysis is demonstrated. It is meant to indicate the meaning and a possible empirical use of the notion of the ‘way of considering’. The analysis covers a fragment of advisory text on the psychology of work. The paper concludes with remarks on the process of the civilizing of objectification, particularly with regard to the relationship between the way of considering the subordinates’ psyche and the macrosocial transformation of public discourse.

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