Language, Culture and Identity: An Ethnolinguistic PerspectiveHow language shapes and is shaped by identity is a key topic within sociolinguistics. An individual's identity is constituted through a variety of different factors, including the social, cultural and ethnic contexts, and issues such as bi- or multilingualism. In this introduction to Language, Culture and Identity Philip Riley looks at these issues against the theoretical background of the sociology of knowledge, and ethnolinguistics. He asks; how do we learn who we are, and what are the mechanisms that teach us this? Through an analysis of the importance of culture and interpersonal communication, Riley shows how social identities are negotiated. The second half of the book looks at issues of ethnicity and bilingualism, and the importance of a series of oppositions to 'others'. The idea of 'the foreigner' is central to this account, yet traditional views of the role of being socially 'other' largely neglect the role of language. Riley bridges this gap by examining specific and problematic aspects of multilingual identities. The book concludes by looking at some of the ways in which identities are being reconfigured, with particular reference to the notions of 'ethos' and the 'communicative virtues'. This engaging analysis of language and social identity will be essential reading for students of sociolinguistics at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. |
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adult anomie anthropological approach aspects Bashir behaviour bilingualism Bokmål Bonjour characteristics child classroom code-switching cognitive communicative practices communicative virtues competence concept constructed context culture deixis Diglossia discourse discourse analysis discursive positions discussion English epistemic epistemic communities ethnic ethnolinguistics ethos example exchange exolinguistic expression fact Finnish foreign forms French functions German greeting human ideology important individual individual's intercultural interlocutor interpretation intersubjective Iovan kind language varieties learner learning linguistic means membership multilingualism native speakers negotiation norms Nynorsk participants particular personal identity personhood phatic plurilingual political pragmatic failure question rearing practices recognized refer relationship repertoire Riley role Schütz Scollon seen sense service encounters Simmel situation situationally social identity social interaction social knowledge system society sociolinguistic sociology of knowledge sociopragmatic speak specific speech Stranger structures talk teacher theory topic University values Vute words