First-person Plural Pronouns Research Articles

Out of the Mouths of Babes: Links Between Linguistic Structure of Loss Narratives and Psychosocial Functioning in Parentally Bereaved Children.

This study examined links between the language bereaved children use to describe the death of their caregiver and children's psychological/behavioral functioning and coping strategies. Participants included 44 children (54.5% male) aged 7 to 12 (M = 9.05) years who were bereaved by the death of a caregiver. Children were assessed via self- and caregiver-report measures and an in-person interview regarding the loss of their caregiver. Children's loss narratives gathered through in-person interviews were transcribed and subjected to textual analysis. Linguistic categories included pronouns and verb tense. Drawing from linguistic and self-distancing theories, we hypothesized that children's use of language reflecting self-distancing (third-person pronouns and past tense) or social connectedness (first-person plural pronouns) would be negatively associated with psychological/behavioral distress and avoidant coping. Similarly, we expected that children's use of self-focused language (first-person singular pronouns and present tense) would be positively associated with psychological/behavioral distress and avoidant coping. As hypothesized, preliminary findings suggest that children who employed more self-distancing language and used more social connectedness words reported less avoidant coping, rs = .40-.42. Also as hypothesized, children who employed more self-focused language had higher levels of self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms, r = .54, and avoidant coping, r = .54, and higher parent-reported psychological/behavioral distress, r = .43. Implications for theory-building, risk screening, and directions for future research with bereaved youth are discussed.

Plural addressee marker and grammaticalization in Barayin

Abstract This article describes two distinct but related grammaticalization paths in Barayin, an East Chadic language. One path is from a first-person plural pronoun to a first-person dual pronoun. Synchronically, the pronominal forms in Barayin with first-person dual number must now be combined with a plural addressee enclitic, nà, to create a first-person plural pronoun. This path is identical to what has been documented in Philippine-type languages. The other path is from a first-person dative suffix to a suffix dedicated to first-person hortative. This path of grammaticalization has not been discussed in the literature. It occurred in several related languages, and each case results in a hortative form with a dual subject. Hortative forms with a plural subject are created by adding a plural addressee marker to the dual form. The plural addressee marker in Chadic languages is derived from a second-person pronominal.

After the end: Linguistic predictors of psychological distress 4 years after marital separation

Divorce is a stressful life event that is associated with increased risk for poor mental and physical health. A key goal for research in this area is to understand individual differences in who fares well or poorly over time, and whether behavioral markers of risk immediately after a separation predict longer term adjustment. This article investigates psychological distress in a sample of separated adults ( N = 134, 84 of whom completed all follow-up assessments) who participated in an initial study and a follow-up assessment approximately 4.5 years later. Using multiple regression we examined whether two linguistic behaviors—the use of words from categories such as first-person pronouns and present tense words (verbal immediacy) and first-person plural pronouns (we-talk; e.g., “we” or “our”)—predicted self-reported psychological distress at follow-up. Increased use of first-person plural pronouns predicted greater psychological distress 4.5 years after marital separation. Additional analyses revealed that this effect was driven largely by differences in self-concept disturbance over time. The extent to which people use first-person plural pronouns following marital separation predicts increased risk for psychological distress years later, and this behavioral indicator may identify people who are at greater risk for poor adjustment over time.

We can do it! Inclusive leader language promotes voice behavior in multi-professional teams

Although it is known that leaders can have a strong impact on whether employees voice work-related ideas or concerns, no research has investigated the impact of leader language on voice—particularly in professionally diverse contexts. Based on a social identity approach as well as on collectivistic leadership theories, we distinguish between implicit (i.e., First-Person Plural pronouns) and explicit (i.e., invitations and appreciations) inclusive leader language and test its effects on voice in multi-professional teams. We hypothesized that implicit inclusive leader language promotes voice especially among team members sharing the same professional group membership as the leader (in-group team members) while explicit inclusive leader language promotes voice especially among team members belonging to a different professional group (out-group team members). These hypotheses were tested in a field setting in which 126 health care professionals (i.e., nurses, resident and attending physicians), organized in 26 teams, managed medical emergencies. Behavioral coding and leader language analyses supported our hypotheses: Leaders' “WE”-references were more strongly related to residents' (in-group) and explicit invitations related more strongly to nurses' (out-group) voice behavior. We discuss how inclusive leader language promotes employee voice and explain why group membership functions as an important moderator in professionally diverse teams.

Paint it Black: Using Change-Point Analysis to Investigate Increasing Vulnerability to Depression towards the End of Vincent van Gogh's Life.

This study investigated whether Vincent van Gogh became increasingly self-focused—and thus vulnerable to depression—towards the end of his life, through a quantitative analysis of his written pronoun use over time. A change-point analysis was conducted on the time series formed by the pronoun use in Van Gogh’s letters. We used time as a predictor to see whether there was evidence for increased self-focus towards the end of Van Gogh’s life, and we compared this to the pattern in the letters written before his move to Arles. Specifically, we examined Van Gogh’s use of first person singular pronouns (FPSP) and first person plural pronouns (FPPP) in the 415 letters he wrote while working as an artist before his move to Arles, and in the next 248 letters he wrote after his move to Arles until his death in Auvers-sur-Oise. During the latter period, Van Gogh’s use of FPSP showed an annual increase of 0.68% (SE = 0.15, p < 0.001) and his use of FPPP showed an annual decrease of 0.23% (SE = 0.04, p < 0.001), indicating increasing self-focus and vulnerability to depression. This trend differed from Van Gogh’s pronoun use in the former period (which showed no significant trend in FPSP, and an annual increase of FPPP of 0.03%, SE = 0.02, p = 0.04). This study suggests that Van Gogh’s death was preceded by a gradually increasing self-focus and vulnerability to depression. It also illustrates how existing methods (i.e., quantitative linguistic analysis and change-point analysis) can be combined to study specific research questions in innovative ways.

Gender differences in Chinese-English press conference interpreting

ABSTRACTThis paper, by making use of the Chinese-English Conference Interpreting Corpus, analyses the differences in press conference interpreting between male and female interpreters in the use of typical English words and interpreting methods. The research shows that male interpreters prefer to use low-value modal verbs, such as may and might; intensifiers; verbs of cognitive attitude, such as I think and I believe; and the first-person plural pronoun we, while female interpreters tend to use high-value modal verbs, such as must and should, more often. The research also indicates that male interpreters are inclined to adopt interpreting methods such as strengthening—i.e. increasing semantic intensity—and addition, whereas female interpreters prefer to use English equivalents to translate Chinese modal adverbs, intensifiers, verbs of cognitive attitude and the first-person plural pronoun we. It is argued that these differences might be attributable to the different roles in society played by men and women in China.

Documenting an Endangered Language: The Inclusive First-Person Plural PronounKākouas a Resource for Claiming Ownership in Hawaiian

This study employs tape-recorded data from interviews with elder speakers of Hawaiian conducted in the year 1970 to describe how a specific feature of the Hawaiian language, the first-person inclusive plural pronoun kākou, may be used in discourse as a resource for making claims of ownership on behalf of Hawaiians. To do so, the analysis first invokes Hanks's (2005) notions of deixis and deictic field to show how kākou can create a sense of community among speakers of Hawaiian. Insights from membership category analysis (Sacks 1992; Sacks and Schegloff 1979; Schegloff 2007) are then drawn on to demonstrate how kākou can be interpreted in interaction as a reference to the category of “Native Hawaiian” and how that category can be used to construe specific natural resources, activities, and forms of language as part of a Hawaiian identity. Discussion of the analysis centers on the status of Hawaiian as an endangered language in the midst of a revitalization movement where language and culture have been points of contestation. Usage of kākou to claim ownership is seen as a resource that can allow speakers of Hawaiian to work through the language itself to negotiate what it means to be “Native Hawaiian.”

The Many in Action and Thought: Towards a Poetics of the Collective in Narrative

Starting out with the observation that collective storytelling has only recently received sufficient narratological attention, this article outlines the pervasiveness of plural subjects in factual narratives and their comparative lack of salience in fictional texts. Discussing the collective on the levels of agency, mind, and narration, the article examines the alternation between plural and singular referents, using crowd scenes as illustrative example. It then turns to we-texts and the ambiguities of the first-person plural pronoun both on the plot and the narrational levels. The final section of the article compares factual and fictional collective narration, emphasizing how fictional we-narratives exceed familiar grammatical constraints in order to achieve particular semantic and narrative effects. The essay is a preliminary step in the development of a poetics of collective narrative, both factual and fictional.

Managers' Self-Inclusive Language in Conference Calls: Multi-Method Evidence

We investigate the joint effect of managers’ self-inclusive language (SIL) and performance news on investors’ reactions to accounting disclosures. We identify two types of SIL: individual SIL, which includes first-person singular pronouns (e.g., I, me) and collective SIL, which includes first-person plural pronouns (e.g., we, us). When performance news is negative, individual SIL implies that a manager is claiming sole responsibility for the unfavorable event whereas collective SIL and SEL diffuse responsibility. Therefore, we predict higher perceptions of manager credibility for individual SIL relative to collective SIL or self-exclusive language (SEL) when performance news is negative, which, in turn, increase investment judgments. We use a between-subjects experiment to test our predictions. Results show higher perceptions of manager credibility and higher investment judgments for individual SIL relative to collective SIL or SEL when performance news is negative. Results of a maximum likelihood estimation suggest that perceptions of manager credibility mediate the effect of individual SIL on investment judgments, supporting the notion that individual SIL exerts an indirect effect on investment judgments. We supplement experimental evidence with an analysis of managers’ SIL in a large sample of earnings conference calls. We document a positive (negative) market reaction to individual (collective) SIL when performance news is negative, consistent with our hypothesis. We also find a positive market reaction to individual SIL when news is positive. Overall, our study offers multi-method evidence of the impact of a subtle and easily overlooked component of managers’ language on investors’ judgments.

Natural language use and couples' adjustment to head and neck cancer.

This multimethod prospective study examined whether emotional disclosure and coping focus as conveyed through natural language use are associated with the psychological and marital adjustment of head and neck cancer patients and their spouses. One-hundred twenty-three patients (85% men; age X¯ = 56.8 years, SD = 10.4) and their spouses completed surveys prior to, following, and 4 months after engaging in a videotaped discussion about cancer in the laboratory. Linguistic inquiry and word count (LIWC) software assessed counts of positive/negative emotion words and first-person singular (I-talk), second person (you-talk), and first-person plural (we-talk) pronouns. Using a grounded theory approach, discussions were also analyzed to describe how emotion words and pronouns were used and what was being discussed. Emotion words were most often used to disclose thoughts/feelings or uncertainty about the future, and to express gratitude or acknowledgment to one's partner. Although patients who disclosed more negative emotion during the discussion reported more positive mood following the discussion (p < .05), no significant associations between emotion word use and patient or spouse psychological and marital adjustment were found. Patients used significantly more I-talk than spouses and spouses used significantly more you-talk than patients (ps < .01). Patients and spouses reported more positive mood following the discussion when they used more we-talk. They also reported less distress at the 4-month follow-up when their partners used more we-talk during the discussion (p < .01). Findings suggest that emotional disclosure may be less important to one's cancer adjustment than having a partner who one sees as instrumental to the coping process. (PsycINFO Database Record

Implicit and Explicit Communal Coping in Couples with Recently Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes.

When an individual in a close relationship is diagnosed with a chronic illness, coping can be the responsibility of the patient, or couple-members can cope communally. Communal coping reflects a shared appraisal of a stressor (our problem instead of my problem) and collaborative efforts to address the stressor. The current study examined whether patients' and partners' communal coping levels were associated with relational and health functioning among 70 couples in which one member was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We assessed explicit communal coping with self-reported "inclusion of the other in the self" in regard to diabetes management and implicit communal coping with first person plural pronoun usage during a diabetes discussion. We also assessed patient reports of support received from partners, patient and partner psychological distress, and patient self-care behavior. Results showed that patient explicit communal coping was related to better patient relationship quality and greater support receipt from partners. Patient and partner explicit communal coping also were related to reduced partner distress but not patient distress. Instead, partner implicit communal coping was related to reduced patient distress. Most noteworthy, partner implicit communal coping was related to better patient self-care behavior. These results suggest that communal coping may be beneficial for both relationships and health, but that the effects of explicit measures differ from those of implicit measures. Patients might benefit especially from partner communal coping efforts that are less obvious.

Physician Racial Bias and Word Use during Racially Discordant Medical Interactions

ABSTRACTPhysician racial bias can negatively affect Black patients’ reactions to racially discordant medical interactions, suggesting that racial bias is manifested in physicians’ communication with their Black patients. However, little is known about how physician racial bias actually influences their communication during these interactions. This study investigated how non-Black physicians’ racial bias is related to their word use during medical interactions with Black patients. One hundred and seventeen video-recorded racially discordant medical interactions from a larger study were transcribed and analyzed using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software. Physicians with higher levels of implicit racial bias used first-person plural pronouns and anxiety-related words more frequently than physicians with lower levels of implicit bias. There was also a trend for physicians with higher levels of explicit racial bias to use first-person singular pronouns more frequently than physicians with lower levels of explicit bias. These findings suggest that non-Black physicians with higher levels of implicit racial bias may tend to use more words that reflect social dominance (i.e., first-person plural pronouns) and anxiety when interacting with Black patients.

Forty Years of BIRGing: New Perspectives on Cialdini’s Seminal Studies

Published 4 decades ago, “Basking in Reflected Glory: Three (Football) Field Studies” (Cialdini et al., 1976) is the most influential study of sport consumer behavior. This article features re-creations of Studies 1 and 2, exactly 40 years after the original publication. The results of Study 1 were reproduced, with participants more than twice as likely to wear school-affiliated apparel after wins and 55% less likely after losses. The study also extends the BIRGing literature in its investigation of the influence of gender and the effect’s salience over time. Study 2’s results were not reproduced. However, study participants were significantly more likely to use first-person plural pronouns, providing further empirical evidence of BIRGing behaviors. This article makes a novel contribution to the sport consumer behavior literature by advancing the study of one of the field’s most foundational theories and serving as an impetus for future investigations of BIRGing motivations.

“We should…” versus “We will…”: How do the governments report their work in “One Country Two Systems”? A corpus-driven critical discourse analysis of government work reports in Greater China

AbstractCritical discourse analysis (CDA) in conjunction with a corpus-driven analytical methodology has evolved into a powerful qualitative and quantitative tool for deconstructing and studying political discourse. This study utilizes a corpus-driven CDA approach to examine the dynamics of power distance and the ideological stance in the context of Greater China, as conveyed in the 2013 Report on the Work of the Government of Mainland China and the Policy Address in Hong Kong. Concordancing software was used to generate frequency lists, co-selection patterns, and concgrams for detailed analysis. In particular, study examines differences in usage of the first-person plural pronoun

The interactional function of the first-person plural pronouns women and zanmen in naturally occurring conversation

The interactional function of the first-person plural pronouns women and zanmen in naturally occurring conversation

Cultural Value Shifting in Pronoun Use

By investigating the use of first-person pronouns in nine languages using the Google Ngram Database, we examined the degree to which different cultural values skewed toward individualism or collectivism over a span of 59 years. We found that in eight of nine languages (British English being the exception), first-person singular pronouns (vs. first-person plural pronouns) have become increasingly prevalent, which in turn points to a rising sense of individualism. British English showed a U-shaped curve trend in the use of first-person singular pronouns (vs. first-person plural pronouns). Although they initially decreased, British English’s first-person singular pronouns (vs. first-person plural pronouns) use was higher than most other languages throughout the whole period. Chinese displayed a fluctuating pattern wherein the use of first-person singular pronouns (vs. first-person plural pronouns) increased in recent periods. The dynamics of cultural change and culture diversity were discussed.

Reconstrucción morfológica y fonológica de los pronombres personales independientes del protoatzinca

En este artículo presento la reconstrucción morfológica y fonológica de los pronombres personales independientes del protoatzinca, con base en datos del matlatzinca y ocuilteco actuales, y de documentos coloniales. En todas las lenguas atzincas encontramos once pronombres independientes que distinguen primera, segunda y tercera persona, singular, dual y plural para cada persona y exclusividad en los pronombres de primera persona dual y plural. Cada una de estas categorías se expresa con un morfema distinto en las palabras pronominales. Uno de los principales resultados de la comparación y reconstrucción que aquí presento es que no hay cambios morfológicos diacrónicos, pero sí los hay en los niveles fonológico y fonético. Original recibido: 2014/05/05Dictamen enviado al autor: 2014/09/24Aceptado: 2014/10/20

Verbalization of the Writer in Academic Prose

The paper presents an empirical analysis of the tools writers use to verbalize their stances in academic discourse based on a corpus of 40 research articles in the fields of Humanities. The paper distinguishes between three stances of writers in academic discourse which are verbalized with a number of linguistic tools: the researcher, the opinion holder, and the representative. The paper also aims to examine the cultural conditions as well as the role of writer’s research experience in markers’ preferences. The paper describes a study in which frequency and usage of linguistic tools marking writer’s stances were compared between papers written in English and in Russian. It was found that Russian authors preferred first-person plural pronouns, the third person and agentless passives while English language writers used both first-person singular and plural, agentless constructions, third person with human reference, and personified point of view constructions.

Digital Dating: Online Profile Content of Older and Younger Adults.

Older adults are utilizing online dating websites in increasing numbers. Adults of different ages may share motivations for companionship and affection, but dating profiles may reveal differences in adults' goals. Theories addressing age-related changes in motivation suggest that younger adults are likely to emphasize themselves, achievements, attractiveness, and sexuality. Older adults are likely to present themselves positively and emphasize their existing relationships and health. We collected 4,000 dating profiles from two popular websites to examine age differences in self-presentations. We used stratified sampling to obtain a sample equally divided by gender, aged 18-95 years. We identified 12 themes in the profiles using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software (Pennebaker, Booth, & Francis, 2007). Regression analyses revealed that older adults were more likely to use first-person plural pronouns (e.g., we, our) and words associated with health and positive emotions. Younger adults were more likely to use first-person singular pronouns (e.g., I, my) and words associated with work and achievement. Findings suggest that younger adults enhance the "self" when seeking romantic partnership. In contrast, older adults are more positive in their profiles and focus more on connectedness and relationships to others.

More than just language advising: rapport in university English writing consultations and implications for tutor training

Adopting a case study approach with multiple data sources, this paper explores the ways in which rapport is built, and its impact on the learning process based on five successive writing support consultations between a native English-speaking (NES) tutor and her second language (L2) tutee in a Hong Kong university. With reference to the prepared coding categories, six strategies that realize the four key elements of rapport management were identified, namely greetings, small talk, the use of qualifiers and mitigation devices, first-person plural pronouns, praises and expressions of empathy, and open-ended questions. These strategies symbolized association, addressed face work and emotional reactions, and encouraged equity in the directive and tutor dominance writing consultations. Motivated by the harmonious relationship, the tutee gradually took a more active role in learning in different ways by asking questions, expressing an opposite view, admitting inadequate knowledge, reflecting on cognitive processes, and initiating small talk. The implicit impact was further reflected in her improved self-rating and the completion of the five consultations. Pedagogical recommendations for tutor training are made.