Constructing Collectivity
'We' across languages and contexts
This is the first edited volume dedicated specifically to first person non-singular reference (‘we’). Its aim is to explore the interplay between the grammatical means that a language offers for accomplishing collective self-reference and the socio-pragmatic – broadly speaking – functions of ‘we’. Besides an introduction, which offers an overview of the problems and issues associated with first person non-singular reference, the volume comprises fifteen chapters that cover languages as diverse as, e.g., Dutch, Greek, Hebrew, Cha’palaa and Norf’k, and various interactional and genre-specific contexts of spoken and written discourse. It, thus, effectively demonstrates the complexity of collective self-reference and the diversity of phenomena that become relevant when ‘we’ is not examined in isolation but within the context of situated language use. The book will be of particular interest to researchers working on person deixis and reference, personal pronouns, collective identities, etc., but will also appeal to linguists whose work lies at the interface between grammar and pragmatics, sociolinguistics, discourse and conversation analysis.
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 239] 2014. x, 355 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 14 February 2014
Published online on 14 February 2014
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
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Acknowledgements | pp. vii–viii
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PrefaceRom Harré | pp. ix–x
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Constructing collectivity with ‘we’: An introductionTheodossia-Soula Pavlidou | pp. 1–20
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Part I. Semantic and pragmatic perspectives on ‘we’
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Referentiality, predicate patterns, and functions of we-utterances in American English interactionsJoanne Scheibman | pp. 23–44
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Singular perception, multiple perspectives through ‘we’: Constructing intersubjective meaning in English and GermanRichard J. Whitt | pp. 45–64
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Referential and functional aspects of the Norwegian first person plural viKaja Borthen and Gøril Thomassen | pp. 65–82
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Grammar, interaction, and context: Unmarked and marked uses of the first person plural in ItalianCarla Bazzanella | pp. 83–104
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The pragmatics of first person non-singular pronouns in Norf’kPeter Mühlhäusler | pp. 105–132
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Part II. Interactional perspectives on ‘we’
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‘We’ as social categorization in Cha’palaa, a language of EcuadorSimeon Floyd | pp. 135–158
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Replying with the freestanding ‘we’ in Greek conversationsTheodossia-Soula Pavlidou | pp. 159–186
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Establishing social groups in Hebrew: ‘We’ in political radio phone-in programsGonen Dori-Hacohen | pp. 187–206
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Why ‘we’? Between person marking, ideology and politeness in contemporary PolishAnna Duszak | pp. 207–226
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Children’s use of English we in a primary school in WalesAmanda Bateman | pp. 227–244
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Part III. Genre-specific perspectives on ‘we’
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“Nail polish – We’ve chosen the nicest shades for you!”: Editorial voice and ‘we’ in a Flemish women’s magazineMartina Temmerman | pp. 247–264
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Author positioning and audience addressivity by means of ‘we’ in Greek academic discourseDimitra Vladimirou | pp. 265–286
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Bulgarian ‘we’ and audience involvement in academic writingIrena G. Vassileva | pp. 287–308
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On the use of ‘we’ in Flemish World War II interviewsDorien Van De Mieroop | pp. 309–330
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“Judge us on what we do”: The strategic use of collective we in British political discourseAnita Fetzer | pp. 331–350
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Author index | pp. 351–352
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Subject index | pp. 353–355
“The most important contribution of this book is that it provides us with different lenses or approaches for examining the use of ‘we’ in terms of personal pronouns, person deixis, collective identities, and category-bound activities within the context of situated language use. Many related issues or future research directions are proposed in the final section of each chapter, which can be a good guide to scholars and graduate students who are interested in the study of the interface between grammar and pragmatics. The most interesting part of this volume is that the use of ‘we’ in various interactional and genre-specific contexts in different languages has many versatile functions, which provides us insight into the nature of the phenomenon of constructing collectivity with ‘we’.”
Cheng-Tuan Li, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, in Discourse Studies Vol. 19.4 (2017)
Cited by (22)
Cited by 22 other publications
Palander-Collin, Minna & Minna Nevala
2024. Chapter 1. Self- and other-reference in social contexts. In Self- and Other-Reference in Social Contexts [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 342], ► pp. 1 ff.
Wang, Xueyu & Xiangxiang Ni
Albalat-Mascarell, Ana & María Luisa Carrió-Pastor
2022. Marcadores de implicación en los discursos de campaña para las elecciones generales de 2016 en España. Spanish in Context 19:3 ► pp. 537 ff.
Han, Yanmei & Tao Xiong
2022. Using wǒmen (we) to mean s/he in Chinese parents’ interaction. Pragmatics and Society 13:1 ► pp. 126 ff.
Mostafiz, Rubayet Bin, Robert V. Rohli, Carol J. Friedland & Yong-Cheol Lee
Anderson, Ashley A.
Fried, Mirjam
2021. Discourse-referential patterns as a network of grammatical constructions. Constructions and Frames 13:1 ► pp. 21 ff.
Koven, Michele & Isabelle Simões Marques
Laurens, Stéphane & Mickael Ballot
Marcus, Imogen & Mel Evans
2019. “Right trusty and well-beloved”. In Reference and Identity in Public Discourses [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 306], ► pp. 67 ff.
Mühlhäusler, Peter
Wei, Jennifer M. & Ren-feng Duann
Kleinke, Sonja, Nuria Hernández & Birte Bös
2018. Introduction. In The Discursive Construction of Identities On- and Offline [Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture, 78], ► pp. 1 ff.
Uzum, Baburhan, Bedrettin Yazan & Ali Fuad Selvi
Simões Marques, Isabelle & Michèle Koven
Simões Marques, Isabelle & Michèle Koven
2019. “We are going to our Portuguese homeland!”. In Storytelling in the Digital World [Benjamins Current Topics, 104], ► pp. 79 ff.
Bazzanella, Carla
[no author supplied]
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 27 october 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CFG: Semantics, Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General