36.303, Reviews: Self- and Other-Reference in Social Contexts: Nagy (2025)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-36-303. Wed Jan 22 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.303, Reviews: Self- and Other-Reference in Social Contexts: Nagy (2025)

Moderator: Steven Moran (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Managing Editor: Justin Fuller
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Steven Franks, Joel Jenkins, Daniel Swanson, Erin Steitz
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Editor for this issue: Joel Jenkins <joel at linguistlist.org>

================================================================


Date: 22-Jan-2025
From: Karoly Nagy [karoly.nagy201 at gmail.com]
Subject: Pragmatics; Self- and Other-Reference in Social Contexts: Nagy (2025)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/35-1405

Title: Self- and Other-Reference in Social Contexts
Subtitle: From global to local discourses
Series Title: Pragmatics & Beyond New Series   342
Publication Year: 2024

Publisher: John Benjamins
           http://www.benjamins.com/
Book URL: https://benjamins.com/catalog/pbns.342

Editor(s): Minna Nevala, Minna Palander-Collin

Reviewer: Karoly Nagy

SUMMARY
The book called ‘Self- and Other-Reference in Social Contexts’ is a
collection of high-quality studies within the Pragmatics & Beyond New
Series that encompasses the richness of Pragmatics as an
interdisciplinary field, along with Discourse Analysis and Critical
Discourse Analysis. The book is a collection of eight chapters, where
each chapter covers a full study that is connected to self- and
other-reference.
Chapter 1. ‘Self- and Other-Reference in Social Contexts: From global
to local discourses’ by Minna Nevala and Minna Palander-Collin is an
introductory chapter of the volume that focuses on the analysis of
self- and other-reference in social contexts. Previous approaches to
self- and other-reference are investigated and explained regarding the
context of the studies in the subsequent chapters, including different
social contexts, linguistic markers and social references.
Chapter 2. ‘Personal conviction against general knowledge: Epistemic
commitment in online discussions of climate change’ by Ylva Biri
investigates the cases and functions of I know and we know in online
discussions. Through the corpus- pragmatic analysis, it was revealed
that I know had interpersonal functions and we know had functions of
epistemicity in Twitter and Reddit conversations on climate change.
The use of I know was less pragmaticalised and expressed the writer’s
viewpoint and stance more than we know. The case of we know also
expressed intersubjectivity as well as underlined the writer’s own
in-group.
Chapter 3. ‘Self-reference as an argumentative tool: Discourse by
politicians and experts during the Covid-19 pandemic’ by Barbara
Decock & Jan Albert van Laar uses approaches involving argumentation
theory  and person reference to analyse the construction of
self-reference on Twitter regarding the Covid-19 pandemic by
politicians and experts from the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium. The
compiled corpus included tweets of Prime Ministers and the Minister of
Health. Through the analysis of word frequency within the corpus, the
contribution and construction of ethos for arguments was revealed. The
strategy of signaling through ethotic use of self-reference was  also
identified. Politicians used self- as well as collective references;
the main difference was that Mark Rutte attempted to present himself
as a person with various contacts, while Sophie Vilmés and Pedro
Sánchez intended to be seen as coordinators. Self-references were
mainly used for emphasizing commitment and dedication in fighting
Covid-19. However, the use of references was found to similar among
the countries.
Chapter 4. ‘The European Union as an in-group in British press and
parliamentary debates’ by Jenni Räikkönen compares parliamentary
debates and newspaper articles concerning the pronouns we or us as
representations of the EU as an in-group. Three representation
categories proved to be the same, namely the EU as CRITICIZED, the EU
as a PROJECT and the EU as COOPERATION. Right-wing representation of
the EU as an in-group was the same (EU as a GLOBAL PLAYER) but
different (inaction in the refugee crisis) in the left-wing
representation. Criticism, however, was also directed at the in-group;
this included the need for improvement, with the EU not being
considered apart from the UK but the UK being a part of it. This was
also the largest category in MP speeches.
Chapter 5. ‘Self- and other-positioning in eighteenth-century
newspapers: A case study of a failed joint venture’ by Birte Bös
explores the sociopragmatic stance on self- and other-positioning
through a case study of indexical practices in negotiating positions.
The study implemented the discourse-historical approach of Wodak and
Reisigl for the identification of positive self- and other
representations, along with referencing and predication strategies for
focusing on the separation in newspapers of the joint editors of The
World, Edward Topham and John Bell. Self-positioning was the most
revealing in Bell’s paper the Oracle. The study also focused on
further selected strategies, such as  perspectivation and
argumentation, in order to investigate their social roles and
identities. Indexical practices were conventionalised through
unfavourable characterisations, which provide evidence for a
self-serving bias.
Chapter 6. ‘Intragroup marginalization in social media: Self- and
other-reference on a plus size fashion brand’s Instagram page’ by
Hanna Limatius & Minna Nevala uses two case studies of Intragroup
Marginalization to investigate plus-size group membership in Fashion
Nova Curve’s Instagram post. The analysed data consisted of 233
Instagram posts published in October, 2021. According to the results,
both models and customers were marginalized both positively and
negatively in Instagram posts by the commenters, who represented  both
in- and out-groups.  The commenters addressed the poster’s  appearance
(“She looks like my mom”); however, these comments were rare.
Commenters viewed themselves as members of the in- and out-groups who
were entitled to their opinion regarding the plus-size models.
Marginalization was present in Instagram posts, videos and comments of
Fashion Nova Curve.
Chapter 7. ‘The communicative functions of third-person singular
pronouns: Cisgender and transgender perspectives’ by Laura Hekanaho
examines the communicative functions of third-person singular pronouns
concerning self- and other-references in transgender contexts. The
thematic analysis of pronouns revealed the conceptualization of
identity between cis- and transgender individuals. The communicative
functions of third person singular pronouns were also investigated in
detail.  Analysis revealed that the users of cis-pronouns drew
parallels between pronouns and biological connections, whereas the
users of transgender pronouns were more attentive for
self-identification. However, pronouns were also used to hide one’s
identity. The study underlined the importance of self- and
other-reference through the use of pronouns in cis- and transgender
contexts.
Chapter 8. ‘Positioning the self and other in English lingua franca
interactions: Reference systems and the dynamics of identification in
a German-Tanzanian school exchange’ by Katharina Beuter points out the
lack of research regarding the African-European context, especially
the adolescent and teenager context. The study also calls attention to
the need for more qualitative studies in the field of ELF. The authors
investigated the pragmatic aspects of adolescents' positioning with
regard to the mixed framework of an African-European student exchange
program. The research incorporated extensive fieldwork; 26 hours of 52
recorded ELF interactions involving 30 Tanzanian and German secondary
school students between the ages of 15-19. The transcripts were
analysed with MAXQDA. The intercultural interactions of adults
incorporate various reference systems representing identities. The
reference choices depended on context as well as topics. There was a
duality between sameness and otherness in  lingua-cultural identities,
especially by Tanzanian students.
EVALUATION
The book, "Self- and Other-Reference in Social Contexts," constitutes
a significant contribution to the field of Pragmatics, demonstrating
the discipline's interdisciplinarity and its capacity to highlight
crucial elements of polarisation and interaction. The collection
effectively navigates the reader through the complexities of self- and
other- representation across diverse social contexts, offering an
insightful exploration of these aspects of communication. The book's
strength lies in its application of diverse methodologies, such as
argumentation theory and discourse analysis. Chapter 2 demonstrates
how the use of "I know" can function to assert individual authority.
The theoretical contexts are elaborated with a precise distinction
between the words ‘know’ and ‘believe’ on page 17, which helps the
reader understand the lexical items that the study focuses on. Chapter
3 calls attention to the importance of the way politicians
strategically use first-person pronouns like "I" and "we" to influence
public perception. The excerpts of analysis from the corpus are
relevant examples of self-references. Chapter 4 demonstrates how the
use of "we" to refer to the UK and the EU can signal inclusion and
shared membership; the criteria for selecting the texts for analysis
are described in-depth. Chapter 5 underlines how the strategic use of
pronouns, such as "we" to refer to the in-group and "they" to refer to
the out-group, can contribute to public perception. Chapter 6
reinforces the importance of the analysis of stereotypical language
use, which can contribute to feelings of marginalization and exclusion
within a community. The introductory part of the 6th chapter
thoroughly describes the sections that follow and establishes the
context. Chapter 7 points out how the use of pronouns, such as
especially an individual's preferred pronouns, can be crucial for
affirming their gender identity and fostering inclusion and respect
within social interactions. Chapter 8 reveals  how learners in an
exchange program strategically employ code-switching, language choice,
and other linguistic strategies to position themselves as members of
particular social groups.
The volume calls attention to the influence and importance of the
socio-cultural and political implications of self- and
other-representation. Through examining political discourse during a
pandemic, representing marginalized groups in social media and the
complexities of identity in intercultural communication, the book
reveals the crucial role of language in shaping social realities. It
also raises awareness of the  issues of contemporary society. The book
effectively and thoroughly explores a wide range of topics. The
methodological approaches are adequate and described in detail in each
chapter. Despite some minor points, such as the lack of elaborate
definition of community norms in Chapter 2, or coding scheme and
schedule in Chapter 3, Self- and Other-Reference in Social Contexts
stands as a valuable contribution to the field. It provides a
comprehensive and insightful exploration of the multifaceted nature of
self- and other- representation, offering valuable insights for
scholars, researchers, and anyone interested in the impact of language
on experience and social interaction.
REFERENCES
Cobb, P., & Yackel, E. (1996). Constructivist, emergent, and
sociocultural perspectives in the context of developmental research.
Educational Psychologist, 31(3ñ4),175ñ 190. doi:
10.1080/00461520.1996.9653265.
Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Frey, L. R., Botan, C. H., & Kreps, G. L. (2000). Investigating
communication: an introduction to research methods. Allyn and Bacon.
Given, L. M. (2008). The sage encyclopedia of qualitative research
methods. SAGE Publications.
Jick, T. D. (1979). Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods:
Triangulation in action. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24,
602-611.
Mullins, S. B. (2018). Establishing a community of discourse through
social norms. Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education,
9(1), 5-17.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Károly Nagy is an English teacher, PhD candidate and Assistant
Lecturer at the Department of English Language Pedagogy of Eotvos
Lorand University. His research interests include Discourse, Critical
Discourse, Political Discourse Analysis, Pragmatics, and ELF. He has
conducted research regarding ELF interactions, use of ideologies, and
argumentative structures. He has applied analytical methods that are
associated with Critical Discourse Analysis, namely Qualitative
Content Analysis, Discourse-Historic Approach, and the Ideological
Square Model.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------

********************** LINGUIST List Support ***********************
Please consider donating to the Linguist List to support the student editors:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=87C2AXTVC4PP8

LINGUIST List is supported by the following publishers:

Bloomsbury Publishing http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/

Cambridge University Press http://www.cambridge.org/linguistics

Cascadilla Press http://www.cascadilla.com/

Elsevier Ltd http://www.elsevier.com/linguistics

John Benjamins http://www.benjamins.com/

Language Science Press http://langsci-press.org

Multilingual Matters http://www.multilingual-matters.com/

Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics / Landelijke (LOT) http://www.lotpublications.nl/

Wiley http://www.wiley.com


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-36-303
----------------------------------------------------------