Text IV

                       Identity and Interaction: a sociocultural linguistic approach

      Different research traditions within sociocultural linguistics have particular strengths in analyzing the varied dimensions of identity outlined in this article. The method of analysis selected by the researcher makes salient which aspect of identity comes into view, and such 'partial accounts' contribute to the broader understanding of identity that we advocate here. Although these lines of research have often remained separate from one another, the combination of their diverse theoretical and methodological strengths  ‒  including the microanalysis of conversation, the macroanalysis of ideological processes, the quantitative and qualitative analysis of linguistic structures, and the ethnographic focus on local cultural practices and social groupings  ‒  calls attention to the fact that identity in all its complexity can never be contained within a single analysis. For this reason, it is necessary to conceive of sociocultural linguistics broadly and inclusively. The five principles proposed here  ‒  Emergence, Positionality, Indexicality, Relationality, and Partialness  ‒ represent the varied ways in which different kinds of scholars currently approach the question of identity. Even researchers whose primary goals lie elsewhere can contribute to this project by providing sophisticated conceptualizations of how human dynamics unfold in discourse, along with rigorous analytic tools for discovering how such processes work. While identity has been a widely circulating notion in sociocultural linguistic research for some time, few scholars have explicitly theorized the concept. The present article offers one way of understanding this body of work by anchoring identity in interaction. By positing, in keeping with recent scholarship, that identity is emergent in discourse and does not precede it, we are able to locate identity as an intersubjectively achieved social and cultural phenomenon. This discursive approach further allows us to incorporate within identity not only the broad sociological categories most commonly associated with the concept, but also more local positionings, both ethnographic and interactional. The linguistic resources that indexically produce identity at all these levels are therefore necessarily broad and flexible, including labels, implicatures, stances, styles, and entire languages and varieties. Because these tools are put to use in interaction, the process of identity construction does not reside within the individual but in intersubjective relations of sameness and difference, realness and fakeness, power and disempowerment. Finally, by theorizing agency as a broader phenomenon than simply individualistic and deliberate action, we are able to call attention to the myriad ways that identity comes into being, from habitual practice to interactional negotiation to representations and ideologies.

      It is no overstatement to assert that the age of identity is upon us, not only in sociocultural linguistics but also in the human and social sciences more generally. Scholars of language use are particularly well equipped to provide an empirically viable account of the complexities of identity as a social, cultural, and ‒ most fundamentally ‒ interactional phenomenon. The recognition of the loose coalition of approaches that we call sociocultural linguistics is a necessary step in advancing this goal, for it is only by understanding our diverse theories and methods as complementary, not competing, that we can meaningfully interpret this crucial dimension of contemporary social life.

(BUCHOLTZ, M.; HALL, K. Identity and interaction: a sociocultural approach. In: Discourse Studies, vol 7 (4‐5). London: SAGE, 2005. pp. 585‐614.)

Read text III and answer questions 60 to 70:

Text III

The use of music and songs in the EFL classroom

There are quite a lot of positive sides of learning English via

the medium music. First of all it is a very positive way of

learning English. Music is a part of our everyday life and

especially young people are very familiar with music. If the

5 teacher provides the possibility of a positive access to a new

topic, the kids will learn the new things easier and with more

fun and readiness. I am sure that the one or the other pupil

turns out to be a little “music-expert”. This can strengthen the

self-consciousness of students who are not so good at other

10 areas because now they have the opportunity to show what

they know about a special artist or band. Another pro of

teaching language by using songs and music is that it is

something different for the students – it is an alternation to

the common methods of language learning, because it is not

15 only interested in input. Learning with music speaks more than

other language-learning-methods to the audio-channel of the

learner, which has the positive effect of training listening and

comprehending language which is modified in terms of

intonation, pronunciation and articulation. Music in the

20 classroom can also be arranged in corporation with teachers of

other subjects, so that kids have the opportunity to use and

practise the new knowledge in more than one subject.

Teachers of English could not only work together with teachers

of music, but also with teachers of German, religion, ethics and

25 history. There is a variety of different thematic blocks which

can be taught with the help of songs, for example cultural or

social studies, to name only two areas.

However, using music and songs as a method of language

teaching can also have negative effects. Not every student likes

30 singing, acting or working with music and songs. Some find it

embarrassing and childish, especially older students. If the

majority of a class consists of students who feel like that about

working with music and songs in the classroom, the teacher

should be aware of the problem that it will be hard to motivate

35 the pupils. It can also be that some pupils protest and even

refuse to do several activities given by the teacher. […] Another

problem for teachers is the question of the right choice of

songs. Nowadays the kids are crazy about music which is called

“Death Metal”, “Hip Hop” or “Acid House”. So, many teachers

40 think that it is hard to fill the pupils of today with enthusiasm

by using Oldies.

Despite the fact that there are more positive effects of

learning a second language with songs and music than negative

ones, most teachers look at this method with mixed emotions.

45 Some are of the opinion that this is no real teaching and a

waste of time with some senseless activities. This is not true, of

course. Out of my own pupil-experience I can say that I have

learned quite a lot with the help of songs. I have acquired not

only a plenty of new words and vocabulary, but also several

50 idioms and many ways to express feelings.

(From http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/122444/the-use-of-music-and-songs-in-theefl-classroom)

Everyone keeps data. Big organizations spend millions to look after their payroll, customer and transaction data. The penalties for getting it wrong are severe: businesses may collapse, shareholders and customers lose money, and for many organizations (airlines, health boards, energy companies), it is not exaggerating to say that even personal safety may be put at risk. And then there are the lawsuits. The problems in successfully designing, installing, and maintaining such large databases are the subject of numerous books on data management and software engineering. However, many small databases are used within large organizations and also for small businesses, clubs, and private concerns. When these go wrong, it doesn't make the front page of the papers; but the costs, often hidden, can be just as serious.

 Where do we find these smaller electronic databases? Sports clubs will have membership information and match results; small businesses might maintain their own customer data. Within large organizations, there will also be a number of small projects to maintain data information that isn't easily or conveniently managed by the large system-wide databases. Researchers may keep their own experiment and survey results; groups will want to manage their own rosters or keep track of equipment; departments may keep their own detailed accounts and submit just a summary to the organization's financial software.

Most of these small databases are set up by end users. These are people whose main job is something other than that of a Computer professional. They will typically be scientists, administrators, technicians, accountants, or teachers, and many will have only modest skills when it comes to spreadsheet or database software. 

The resulting databases often do not live up to expectations. Time and energy is expended to set up a few tables in a database product such as Microsoft Access, or in setting up a spreadsheet in a product such as Excel. Even more time is spent collecting and keying in data. But invariably (often within a short time frame) there is a problem producing what seems to be a quite simple report or query. Often this is because the way the tables have been set up makes the required result very awkward, if not impossible, to achieve. 

A database that does not fulfill expectations becomes a costly exercise in more ways than one. We clearly have the cost of the time and effort expended on setting up an unsatisfactory application. However, a much more serious problem is the unability to make the best use of valuable data. This is especially so for research data. Scientific and social researchers may spend considerable money and many years designing experiments, hiring assistants and collecting and analyzing data, but often very little thought goes into storing it in an appropriately designed database. Unfortunately, some quite simple mistakes in design can mean that much of the potential information is lost. The immediate objective may be satisfied, but unforeseen uses of the data may be seriously compromised. Next year's grant opportunities are lost.