During the seminar “Critical Discourse Analysis: Text and Discourse” there were various fields of application mentioned. Bureaucracy was a very interesting one, as it is nearly an everyday necessity, especially living in Germany. The use of bureaucratic language does not only occur in institutional contexts, but “may enter and take over the discourse practices of other domains”*, e.g. the correspondence in business companies. Since all citizens can tell their own story of a bureaucratic incident and therefore can relate to such problems, the movie-scene analyzed is a well remembered one.
The thesis in hand will first give an overview about the material and present a summary of the noted movie-scene to afford a basis for the following analysis. That will concern the information exchange with clients and inside the institution, as well as the role behaviour in bureaucratic discourse. At last, it closes with some final words and the credits.
*See Sarangi / Slembrouck (1996), p. 34.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Material and motivation
II.A Why did I choose an Asterix movie?
II.B Summary of ‘The Place That Sends You Mad’
III. Bureaucracy in ‘The Place That Sends You Mad’
III. A Information exchange with clients
III. B Information exchange inside the institution
III.C Role behaviour in bureaucratic discourse
IV. Conclusion
V. Bibliography
VI. Picture credits
Objectives and Research Scope
The primary objective of this thesis is to examine the representation of bureaucratic discourse in a specific scene from the movie "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix." The research investigates how linguistic markers and interpersonal dynamics construct an image of an overly complex, inefficient, and often absurd institutional environment, analyzing how power is exercised and information is (mis)handled within this fictional bureaucratic system.
- Analysis of institutional information exchange between clerks and clients.
- Examination of internal communication flows and bureaucratic workflows.
- Investigation of discourse roles and role behavior in hierarchical settings.
- Application of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to filmic representations of bureaucracy.
Excerpt from the Book
III.C ROLE BEHAVIOUR IN BUREAUCRATIC DISCOURSE
According to Sarangi and Slembrouck, observable shifts in talk are important for the role behaviour in bureaucratic discourse:
"In fact, it might strictly include speaking in any institutionalized or ritual role that exists apart from the person who occupies it, because for any such role the intentions, beliefs, etc. behind the speech act attach to the office and not the particular speakers."16
Being the member of a certain role-category and the knowledge what this category entails, is important for how discourse is interpreted. The content of a role-category can vary, e.g. if the member of the category is placed in a hierarchical structure.17 An example for this variation is the desk officer, who becomes very friendly, when he sees the Prefect coming and is nearly grovelling, while providing the answer to his superiors question concerning window 218. Beforehand he was unfriendly and not willing to listen to the questions of his Gaulic clients. He might interpret his role more as a kind of gate keeper that has to fend of citizens and others that are not clients at ‘his’ institution. Asterix and the other clerks seem to take him for a janitor or a receptionist whose main task is to send the clients to the right places and have an eye on the current locations of the many windows.
Whether this or that interpretation is more adequate, the desk officer is one of the smallest fish in the bureaucratic pond and he knows it. So, when it comes to hierarchy he places himself at the lower end of the ladder, but still above his clients. The highest representative of The Place That Sends You Mad Asterix and Obelix get to know is the Prefect, who at last hands out the Permit A38 in order to get rid of them. He is polite, but in a very aloof manner and repeatedly using phrases like “Some people here are trying to work” or “I’m very busy just now” 19. While holding a high position, not even he is sure about the actual location of the different windows.
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: Outlines the motivation for using an Asterix movie to analyze bureaucratic language and provides an overview of the thesis structure.
II. Material and motivation: Presents the primary source material and discusses why this specific movie scene serves as a compelling example of bureaucratic discourse.
II.A Why did I choose an Asterix movie?: Explains the connection between the myth of Heracles and the twelve tasks, highlighting how the "Place That Sends You Mad" illustrates bureaucratic clichés.
II.B Summary of ‘The Place That Sends You Mad’: Provides a narrative overview of the events Asterix and Obelix experience while attempting to obtain permit A38.
III. Bureaucracy in ‘The Place That Sends You Mad’: Introduces the thematic focus on information exchange and role behavior within the analyzed institutional setting.
III. A Information exchange with clients: Analyzes how the institution controls information and forces the clients into an inefficient and non-transparent procedure.
III. B Information exchange inside the institution: Investigates the complex internal information system and the disconnected workflows between different departments.
III.C Role behaviour in bureaucratic discourse: Examines how individuals shift their communicative styles based on their institutional rank and their relationship to superiors.
IV. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings regarding bureaucratic indicators and briefly touches upon gender representations in the movie.
V. Bibliography: Lists the academic sources and theoretical background material used.
VI. Picture credits: Lists the sources for the imagery used in the documentation.
Keywords
Critical Discourse Analysis, Bureaucracy, The Twelve Tasks of Asterix, Institutional Communication, Role Behavior, Information Exchange, Power Dynamics, Administrative Formality, Permit A38, Language and Social Control, Bureaucratic Discourse, Institutionalized Roles, Hierarchy, Gate Keeping, Linguistic Markers
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this thesis?
The work explores the linguistic and social representations of bureaucracy in the movie "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix," specifically analyzing the scene set in "The Place That Sends You Mad."
What are the central thematic fields covered in this study?
The research focuses on how information is exchanged between an institution and its clients, how internal bureaucratic workflows function, and the shifting role behavior of employees within an institutional hierarchy.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to identify and analyze indicators of bureaucratic language and behavior that are portrayed in an exaggerated and ironic manner in the film.
Which scientific method is utilized in this paper?
The author employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to dissect the language use, discourse practices, and role-based communication patterns present in the selected scene.
What content is addressed in the main chapters?
The main chapters provide a summary of the film scene, analyze the information exchange between the institution and clients, explore internal bureaucratic communication, and examine the shifts in how characters enact their professional roles.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Key terms include Critical Discourse Analysis, Bureaucracy, Institutional Communication, Role Behavior, Information Exchange, Power Dynamics, and Administrative Formality.
How does the author analyze the desk officer's behavior?
The author observes that the desk officer changes his tone depending on who he is interacting with—being rude to clients but subservient to his superiors, highlighting his role-category behavior.
What does the "Permit A38" symbolize in this analysis?
It represents the opaque, irrational, and obstructive nature of bureaucratic procedures that the protagonists must navigate, serving as a catalyst for the ironic portrayal of institutional dysfunction.
How does the author interpret the gender dynamics in the movie?
In the concluding chapter, the author notes that male characters hold higher-ranking, albeit often absurd, positions, while female characters are primarily portrayed as performing basic service tasks.
Why is the "circular B65" significant?
The invented "circular B65" is used by Asterix as a tactical tool to disrupt the rigid bureaucratic system, forcing the clerks to reveal their own lack of knowledge and their dependence on inefficient information flows.
- Citar trabajo
- Katharine Pusch (Autor), 2009, CDA and 'The Place That Sends You Mad', Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/125849
