3.2.3 Identity construction as a dynamic process
As a process of making choices, identity construction is fundamentally dynamic. Dynamics is placed at a very central position in the Linguistic Adaptation Theory. Since the structural objects have been studied in detail by the traditional components of linguistic theory and the contextual correlates have also been widely discussed by sociolinguistics, anthropological linguistics,psycholinguistics, and others, “what pragmatics adds is the specifically dynamic perspective on the interadaptability of context and structure in actual language use” (Verschueren, 1999, p. 147).
Doing identity-work, as one of the activities in language use, can also be viewed from a dynamic perspective on the interadaptability of context and structure in verbal communication.
According to Verschueren (1999), the intrinsic characteristic of dynamics is the temporal dimension, so dynamics in this sense means that identity construction is unfolded in a constantly changing process. Holmes et al. (1999)point out that identities are reflected in the choices speakers constantly make at every linguistic level and at the pragmatic and paralinguistic levels as well.The making of these choices depend on the speaker’s ongoing assessment of the relative weight of a wide range of social factors and in this way, “each utterance contributes to the social and personal identity construction of the speaker, as well as modifying the perceptions of the addressee in an interaction in a dynamic way” (Holmes et al., 1999, p. 353).
As mentioned previously, treating identity construction as a dynamic process embraces a social constructivist view of identity, which is “perhaps the most general perspective, one that provides a very basic way of thinking about identity” (De Fina et al., 2006, p. 2). Many approaches to identity and identity construction also embrace such a constructivist view (e.g., Bucholtz &Hall, 2005; Hecht, 1993; Omoniyi & White, 2006). It is clear that, in theoretical orientation, the constructivist view of identity in verbal communication has been widely accepted (e.g., Bucholtz & Hall, 2005; De Fina et al., 2006; Gao et al., 2008; Graham, 2007; Hall, 1996; Kroskrity, 2000;Omoniyi & White, 2006; Wenger, 1998; Zimmerman, 1998). A great deal of attention has been given to the dynamic process of identity construction in specific verbal interactions (e.g., Butler & Fitzgerald, 2010; Clifton & Van De Mieroop, 2010; Graham, 2007; Omoniyi & White, 2006; Zimmerman, 1998)because identities “are dynamic and situated accomplishments, enacted through talk, changing from one occasion to the next” (Tracy, 2002, p. 17).Other studies have explored the identities constructed locally and temporarily in a dynamic interaction (e.g., Gu, 2010; Migge, 2011; Vöge, 2010).
Identity construction is fundamentally dynamic in verbal communication.This study focuses on the dynamic construction of identity by referring to the fact that identity can be constantly adjusted when an interaction unfolds. One example from Chen (2004a, p. 45) is very typical to show this dynamic process of identity construction.
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(Context (from a TV series): Kangxi, the emperor went out to battle by leading his army himself. But unfortunately, he became seriously ill.Under this circumstance, the prince was edged on by the prime minister and attempted to ascend the throne in advance. However, the prince’s disloyal and impolitic attempt was discovered by the emperor.)
→ 1 太子：皇阿玛，我错了。
‘Prince: Dad, I’m sorry.’
→ 2 康熙：不要叫我皇阿玛，叫我皇上。
‘Emperor: Don’t address me as Dad. Address me as Your Majesty.’
→ 3 太子：皇上，儿臣错了，请皇上降罪。
‘Prince: Your Majesty, I confess my guilt. Please punish me.’
In this example, the prince purposefully addresses the emperor “皇阿玛”(‘dad/father’) in line 1 to hope that the emperor can forgive his disloyal and impolitic attempt, thus constructing himself an identity of being a son and at the same time constructing the emperor an identity of being a father. However,the emperor directly asks the prince to address him as “皇上” (‘Your Majesty’)in line 2, thus constructing himself an identity of being the emperor instead of being a father and at the same time constructing the prince an identity of being a minister. To adapt to the current context, the prince has to adjust his identity and construct himself an identity of being a minister. This short conversation clearly shows the dynamic nature of identity construction. In this conversation, the participants mainly use forms of address to construct their identities and to realize their identity adjustment and negotiation and renegotiation. Moreover, the prince’s identity shift from the son to the minister is driven by communicative needs that should be satisfied in this specific context.
To sum up, identity construction is a dynamic process, which often involves negotiation and renegotiation of different identities in a single communicative event. The shift from the construction of one identity to another, which is the most typical case to show the dynamics of identity construction, is usually driven by multiple communicative needs and constrained by various contextual correlates.