Examining the Confluence of Identity and Politeness in L2 Classroom Talk

Abstract

Identity and politeness have received substantial interest in the fields of pragmatics and discourse analysis. Despite this, few studies have empirically investigated how they influence each other to shape the subtleties of talk-in-interaction. Such an understanding would be particularly useful to language educators, as it could illuminate the types of interactional practices that learners undertake to legitimize themselves. This paper will explore one such instance in an English as a foreign language classroom at a Japanese university. Conversation Analysis is used to examine a group task in which a student in a subordinated role attempts to project two conflicting identities: a compliant follower and an expert on the discussion topic. The data exhibits how this highly proficient learner seamlessly switches back and forth between the two identities through her acts of politeness rooted in Japanese culture. The findings highlight the complex interpersonal challenges that learners often face in their attempts at self-expression in the language classroom.