Positioning and negation of identities in a bilingual intimate communication

Steffi Kny

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Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject Speech Science / Linguistics, grade: 1,0, Albstadt-Sigmaringen University, course...

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Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject Speech Science / Linguistics, grade: 1,0, Albstadt-Sigmaringen University, course: Topics in applied linguistics - , language: English, abstract: Communication is an important aspect of an intimate relationship. It becomes even more important when both partners do not have the same native language and one of both (or sometimes both when a lingua franca is used) has to express in a language s/he is not completely proficient in, and e.g. might not know all connotations of the meanings. The level of proficiency one has in a language is important for the identity that is established or, i.e. negotiated through communication. The frame of this paper is based on the framework of positioning by Harré and Davies (1990) and it aims to apply ideas from this framework to data I gathered from an intimate bilingual conversation. Furthermore, an article by Piller (2000) aboutLanguage choice in bilingual, cross-cultural interpersonal communication,analyzing language choice in bilingual intimate conversations, specifically Anglo-German couples, and their reasons should be taken into consideration. This article is organized as following: first, I will give an introduction into the notions of positioning, identity, negotiation of identity. It implies that identities "are constructed in and through discourse." (Riley, 2006: 297). In a next step, I will take a closer look at the language choice in bilingual relationships, I will identify possible reasons for one language to be chosen, and compare these with my own experience being a German and having a relationship with an American. The last part consists in analyzing the transcript. I have two transcripts that I will take into consideration: one is in English, and the other one is in German. I aim to examine how the language choice determines the positioning of each of the communication partners, and consequently, what impact does the fact of being a native or a non-native speaker has on the identity. Moreover, I will look at the distribution of the dominant role, and if the native speaker is in the more dominant position merely because s/he is the more proficient speaker, or if there are other factors determine each positions.