An important aspect of the acquisition of knowledge deals with our beliefs
about the nature of knowledge or epistemic stances. Language plays a key role in the
acquisition of such beliefs. This study explored the epistemic stances in the discourse of
children TV shows. Twenty hours of children TV programming from 10 TV channels
recorded in Santiago, Chile, were analyzed for discourse strategies that marked epistemic
stances. The analysis found five discourse strategies with the following epistemic stances:
(1) knowledge is best learned when focused around a single theme, and (2) through
sequences or steps; (3) everyone has equal access to knowledge; (4) knowledge is
naturally built with scaffolding through dialogues; and, (5) knowledge does not originate
only from the rational mind, but also from the emotional heart.
Keywords:
children TV shows, epistemology, discourse strategies, discourse analysis, epistemic stances
Atoofi, S. (2016). Epistemic stances in the discourse of children TV shows. Lenguas Modernas, (46), Pág. 9 – 25. Retrieved from https://analesfcfm.uchile.cl/index.php/LM/article/view/43392
