Abstract
Stance plays a salient role in communicating interpersonal meaning through language use. Understanding stance as co-constructed within dialogic interaction uncovers subtleties of how interlocutors use language to express their subjectivities and thus, negotiate their interpersonal relationship. The notion of face and facework, or relational work (Locher 2004), is therefore relevant to the understanding of stance in interaction. Drawing on Du Bois’ (2007) stance triangle, our study analyzes oppositional stance in a single, extended interaction and shows how two interlocutors in an academic setting jointly construct oppositional stance, each by drawing on their own interpretations. Our analysis indicates that this co-constructed oppositional stance is enacted throughout three broader stages, which we call initiation, negotiation, and resolution. We also demonstrate that expressing oppositional stance is a complex process where interlocutors employ various discourse strategies to express pessimistic evaluation, shifting positionings, and (dis)alignment. Meanwhile, instances of oppositional stance become face-maintaining and face-challenging at different stages in which directness and indirectness are variably employed.
About the authors
Hatime Çiftçi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English Language Teaching at MEF University. She teaches courses such as Sociolinguistics, Applied Linguistics and Research Methods. She received her Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Instructional Technology from University of South Florida. Her research interests include pragmatics and discourse, politeness, intercultural communication, and computer-mediated communication.
Camilla Vásquez is a Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of South Florida, where she teaches courses such as Discourse Analysis, Sociolinguistics and Internet Language. Camilla is the author of The Discourse of Online Consumer Reviews (Bloomsbury, 2014), as well as a number of articles that have appeared in journals such as Discourse Context & Media, Journal of Pragmatics, Narrative Inquiry, Text & Talk, among others.
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Appendix: Transcription Conventions and Codes
: | Lengthening of a sound or syllable |
(#.#) | Pause in seconds e. g., (0.2) for a two-second pause |
@ | Laughter, multiple @ shows longer laughter |
[ ] | Speech overlap |
(( )) | Researcher’s transcription comments |
↑ | Increase in stress or pitch |
“ ” | Direct speech (or utterance read from a student’s paper) |
… | Continuing turn |
^word^ | Mispronunciation |
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