5.1.1 The identity of a knowledgeable expert and l...
Heritage and Sefi (1992) find that showing the rich knowledge in their own field is one of the ways for health visitors to construct their expert identity. In academic advising interaction, this is also one of the major strategies for advice-givers to construct their expert identity. “The identity of a knowledgeable expert” will be used to refer to this image shaped by an expert through showing his/her rich knowledge. For example,
(5-2) PhD DPPM-1:
1 T1：这个：：，(1.0)这个有时候说话太绝对了。
‘Sometimes you’ve made some too absolute claims.’
2 T4：嗯嗯。
‘Mm Mm.’
3 T3：哎对。
‘Right.’
4 T1：这个XX大学((某高校))的那个XXX ((已毕业博士))他也研究汉语的这个：存现句，当时他的博士论文我看了，我看他挺unify的。‘XXX ((the name of the person)) from XX ((the name of the university)) University has also conducted a study on the Chinese existential sentences. I have read his doctoral dissertation and I think his dissertation is very coherent.’
5 T2：呵呵呵。
(laughs softly)
6 T1：就在认知语言学的框架下，对这个汉语的存现句进行了系统的研究，你这个你这上面也没有提到他。
‘(XXX has) conducted a systematic study on the Chinese existential sentences. However, you didn’t mention his study here.’
7 S： 哦。
‘Um.’
→ 8 T1：可能你不知道。
‘Perhaps you don’t know (this study).’
→ 9 S： 我是没看过。
‘(It’s true that) I haven’t read it.’
→ 10 T1：博士论文。另外，另外呢，还有这个(2.0)这个XX ((某高校))的像XXX ((已毕业博士))啊，这些人，对汉语的存现句进行了详细的分类，他分成十几种类型，然后每一种不同的，然后汉语每一种不同的类型，是不是它这个处理上，就是在这个解释上是不是它有差异或者什么呢。你也没有分类，这个，汉语的存现句比英语的复杂多了，英语“there is,” “there are,” 什么“there appears,”“there happens”还有什么，就这个。汉语的存现句它复杂多了，你知道吧？这些人都对汉语的存现句都进行了详细的分类，那你是不是也要分个类啊？
‘(XXX’s) doctoral dissertation. Besides, there are other studies like the one conducted by XXX from XX University. They have classified the Chinese existential sentences and put them into dozens of categories. And each category was examined to see if there is any difference between them. However, you didn’t make a classification here. Chinese existential sentences are much more complex than English ones. (English existential expressions) like “there is,” “there are,” “there appears,”“there happens” etc., (which are limited in number. The Chinese (existential sentences) are much more complex, and you know that, right? All of these people (I’ve mentioned) have conducted a detailed classification of the Chinese existential sentences, so I wonder if you also conduct a classification of them.’
11 S： 就是我是=
‘I’m just (…).’
12 T1：=因为你是研究Chinese 哦：existential construction=
‘Because what you’re studying is the Chinese existential construction.’
13 S： =对，我觉得=
‘Yes. I think (that…)’
14 T1：=你也没有分类，你就光举了一些例子，就是说，当然这个在你以后的研究当中你肯定也是对不同的存现句进行分类吧，对吧？
‘You haven’t made a classification of them, and you have just listed some examples. That is to say, of course you will definitely make a classification of the Chinese existential sentences in your study in the future, right?’
15 T3：对。
‘Right.’
→ 16 T1：你要根据你的这个，理论框架也可能要分类，要根据人家前面的分类，他有哪些合理的、不合理的地方，对吧？嗯，这方面的研究非常非常多。我从你这个，这个，后面的这个文献当中发现，(2.0)你要是从，那个，这个什么，哦这个，就是CNKI你打一个“存现句”或者“存在句”，哇！都找出相当多的。我我就看了你这个，我就在那个，在那个CNKI我就打了一下，找出这么多呵呵，你这里面都没有。呵呵。
‘You need to make a classification of (the Chinese existential sentences) in terms of your theoretical framework and the previous classifications. You need to examine what is reasonable and what is not reasonable in the previous classifications, right? There are a lot of studies related to the classification. I have found from references you’ve listed at the end of your proposal… If you search CNKI, you will find that there are a lot of studies on the Chinese existential sentences. I have read your references. I searched CNKI and I found so many relevant studies, which you didn’t refer to in your proposal.(laughs softly)’
17 T3：嗯呵呵。
‘Mm (laughs softly).’
18 T1：对不对？汉语的存现句的研究是非常多的。我又把XXX ((前文提到XX大学已毕业博士))的那个博士论文拿出来看了一下。他后面呢，关于存现句的那个引的那个参考文献最起码有，有40多篇，你这里面=
‘(You haven’t referred to those studies,) have you? There are a lot of studies on the Chinese existential sentences. I read XXX’s (who is from XX University and has obtained his PhD degree) doctoral dissertation again. He listed at least 40 articles or books related to existential sentences in his references, but in your proposal,’
19 S： =对。
‘Right.’
20 T1：只包括了非常小的一部分。(2.0)另外呢，像“王冕死了父亲”根本不是存现句。
‘(Your reference) only includes a very small part. Besides, a sentence like “Wang Mian si le fuqin” is not an existential sentence at all.’
In this example, T1 obviously constructs himself an identity of an expert by mentioning some previous studies, pointing out the proposal’s limitation in reviewing related literature and giving his advice. Furthermore, T1 makes salient one of the aspects of himself as an expert, his rich knowledge of previous studies related to S’s project, thus constructing himself an identity of a knowledgeable expert. This identity is also strengthened by T1’s utterance in line 8 (i.e., “可能你不知道”, ‘Perhaps you don’t know (this study).’), thus putting S, the advice-receiver into a situation where S is less knowledgeable(Pudlinski, 2005). On the other hand, S’s response in line 9 “我是没看过”( ‘(It’s true that) I haven’t read them.’) also strengthens this identity because the participants’ identity is reciprocally constructed (He, 1993).
In Ex.(5-2), T1 gives his advice to S based on the identity of a knowledgeable expert constructed in this advising sequence. For example, in line 10, T1 gives his advice, i.e., “那你是不是也要分个类啊?” (‘I wonder if you also conduct a classification of them’) based on the identity of a knowledgeable expert constructed in the pre-sequence of the advising, and then explanations are offered, in lines 12 and 14. It is followed by a similar suggestion in line 16 “你要根据你的这个，理论框架也可能要分类，要根据人家前面的分类，他有哪些合理的、不合理的地方，对吧?” (‘You need to make a classification of (the Chinese existential sentences) in terms of your theoretical framework and the previous classifications. You need to examine what is reasonable and what is not reasonable in the previous classifications,right?’), and then T1 maintains his identity of a knowledgeable expert, in lines 16 and 18, mainly through discourse contents, which shows that he knows well of previous studies.
In this advising sequence, T1’s knowledgeable image is made salient mainly through discourse contents expressed through both his and S’s utterances. The expert advice-givers may also construct the identity of a knowledgeable expert mainly through discourse contents, which show their familiarity with certain research fields or subjects. For example,
(5-3) PhD DPPM-1:
1 S： 嗯，Jackendoff 2005年应该是，他这篇文章里面，他是发在Cognition上面的，
‘Hmm, it should be the year 2005 and in his article…Jackendoff published it on Cognition. ’
2 T2：对，对对。
‘Right, right right.’
3 S： 他说他的parallel structure跟processing是compatible，然后他说processing也可以成为一个component当时=‘He said that parallel structure is compatible with process,and then he said that processing can be one component.’
→ 4 T2：=哦：：：(1.0)对，他是说他的parallel architecture可以和processing，他认为这是他这个系统的一个长处、优点。‘Yes. He said his parallel architecture can be (compatible with)processing. He thinks that this is the advantage of his system.’
5 S： 对。
‘Right.’
→ 6 T2：但是这并不是说，还要和这个语言知识和语言使用，因为Jackendoff是Chomsky这一派的，他也，虽然也说了语言知识和语言使用呢这个这个，不是特别分得开。但是呢，有时候，你还得总体上得分一下，不然，要不你有时候就没法操作，因为什么东西储存在头脑之中的，什么东西是实际使用的过程，这两者是两个领域，一个linguistic theory研究的，一个是psycholinguistics研究的。
‘But this is not to say that the knowledge of language and the use of language (are the same). Since Jackendoff belongs to the Chomskian school, he argues that the knowledge of language and the use of language cannot be particularly distinguished from each other, but sometimes you need to make a distinction between them in general. Otherwise, it will sometimes be difficult to operate because what is stored in our mind and what is actually the process of use are two fields.One is examined by linguistic theory and the other is explored by psycholinguistics.’
In this example, after making a positive comment in line 4 on what S has said in lines 1 and 3, T2 points out that “parallel structure” and “processing”concern two different research fields, “linguistic theory” and“psycholinguistics” respectively. He also explicitly points out the fact that Jackendoff belongs to the Chomskian school (‘Jackendoff是Chomsky这一派的’), thus demonstrating his familiarity with certain research fields. T2 makes salient one of the aspects of an expert by showing his familiarity with and expertise in certain research fields, thus constructing himself an identity of knowledgeable expert. Here, in a similar way to that shown in Ex.(5-2),discourse contents communicated in T2’s utterances play a major role in shaping his image of a knowledgeable expert.