ERIC Number: EJ984504
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1470-8477
EISSN: N/A
A Cross-Cultural Approach to the Negotiation of Individual and Group Identities: Parliamentary Debates and Editorial Meetings
Stewart, Miranda
Language and Intercultural Communication, v12 n4 p302-320 2012
This article draws on interactional pragmatics and a cross-cultural approach (UK, France, Spain) to investigate the negotiation of individual and group identities in two different speech events, parliamentary debates and editorial meetings. The cross-cultural examination of the use of linguistic resources for signalling "social role, boundaries and bonds" (Chilton, P., "Analysing Political Discourse: Theory and Practice". London: Routledge, 2004, p. 48) serves to explore how speakers use language strategically to position themselves and others, renegotiate or resist positioning, offer rallying points and forge "defensible alignments" (Goffman, E., "Forms of Talk". Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1981, p. 325). In the case of personal deixis, it shows that both quantitative and qualitative methods can be used to pinpoint cultural specificities--for example, a more frequent use of explicit performatives in the Spanish and, particularly, the French data to hedge commitment to propositions, and, in English-language parliamentary debate, a use of truth hedging signalling strong commitment for coercive interactive positioning. In the case of indeterminacy of reference, in, for example, the use of "asides", in the English-language editorial meeting humour was used to bond participants in the pursuit of common goals; cultural allusion and references in Latin and English were used in the Spanish parliament for positioning; verbal wit and virtuosity were particularly important in the community of practice of the French parliament. (Contains 2 tables, 13 extracts, and 3 notes.)
Descriptors: Cross Cultural Studies, Foreign Countries, Communities of Practice, Pragmatics, French, Persuasive Discourse, Discourse Analysis, Role, Political Attitudes, Qualitative Research, Spanish, Editing, Debate, Language Usage, Cultural Traits, Ethics, English, Humor, Meetings, Latin, Self Concept, Contrastive Linguistics
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: France; Spain; United Kingdom (England); United Kingdom (Scotland)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A