Language, Culture and Identity An Ethnolinguistic Perspective

by Riley, Philip

• ISBN13: 9780826486295
• ISBN10: 0826486290
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-08-23
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

How 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.

Author Biography

Philip Riley is Emeritus Professor of Ethnolinguistics at Nancy University, France

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. viii
Introduction	p. 1
Theoretical and historical background	p. 3
The sociology of knowledge	p. 3
Ethnolinguistics	p. 8
The social knowledge system	p. 21
Notes on the concept of culture	p. 21
Structures and functions of the social knowledge system	p. 30
The social learning process	p. 32
'Culture' as knowledge: cultural markers	p. 39
Knowledge, identity and competence	p. 52
Identity	p. 69
Identity studies: some issues and approaches	p. 69
Social identity: you are what you know	p. 86
Communicative practices, roles and acts	p. 92
Membershipping strategies, phatic communion and greetings	p. 113
Membershipping strategies	p. 113
Phatic communion and greetings	p. 124
Rearing practices	p. 133
The Stranger	p. 161
The Stranger: a social type	p. 161
Anomie, recognition and citizenship	p. 173
Pragmatic failure	p. 189
Compensation strategies	p. 200
Reconfiguring identities	p. 213
Ethos and the communicative virtues	p. 213
Ethos	p. 213
The communicative virtues	p. 215
Negotiating identities in intercultural service encounters	p. 219
Forging identities	p. 229
Standardization and scaffolding	p. 234
Standardization	p. 234
Scaffolding	p. 239
Conclusion	p. 243
References	p. 245
Index	p. 259
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