7.2.2 Identity construction adapting to the mental...
The major contextual correlates in the mental world to be adapted to in identity construction are emotion and face want of the two parties. The following two subsections will provide a detailed look at each of these two correlates.
Identities constructed to adapt to the interlocutors’ emotion
Emotion is one of the important ingredients in the mental world for advice-givers to consider in their identity construction. The functioning mechanism of the interadaptability of identity construction and emotion is that certain identities indicating pragmatic empathy are constructed to close the emotional distance between the interlocutors. For example,(7-8) PhD DPPM-3:
1 T5：(.....)就是说，你可以在引言中，把容易跟：比较容易混淆的类型啊，你把它排除，
‘(......) that is to say, you may exclude those categories that easily cause confusion in your introduction.’
2 T1：(...)就就是[使用排除法]
‘(...) just to use the exclusive method.’
→ 3 T5： [你的目的]就是让在你答辩的时候别人不会再提[问题]。
‘Your purpose is to prevent others from questioning you in your thesis defence.’
→ 4 T1： [不再]提问，我把这个排除之后，与这个就无关了你不要问我。
‘Don’t question me any longer. If I exclude this, it will have nothing to do with me. Don’t ask me (the questions about this).’
→ 5 T5：可能你(举一两个例子)可能还会有那几种形式，但它不在我的(研究范围)
‘Maybe you can give some examples to illustrate whether there are still other forms, but they are not in my scope of research.’
6 T2：但它不在我研究，对对对
‘But it’s not in (the scope of) my research. Right.’
→ 7 T1：对，我把它排除
‘Yes, I exclude it.’
→ 8 T5：而不要自身去暴露，[(我就讲这个问题，我把这个讲清楚就行了，实际上是保护自己)]
‘Don’t expose (your problems) by yourself. I just deal with this question and make it clear. That’s enough. It is in fact a way of protecting yourself.’
9 T1： [实际上，实际上这是一种self-protection]
‘In fact this is a way of self-protection.’
10 T2：对，对对对
‘Right, right right right.’
→ 11 T1：(自我保护的…)不要问我，
‘(self-protection). Don’t ask me (the questions irrelevant to this).’
12 T5：就是这样。
‘Just do like this.’
Here, both T5 and T1 construct an identity of a virtual advice-receiver for themselves, through the use of pragmatic empathy, which is indicated by the use of the singular form of the first person pronoun “我” (‘I’) in lines 4, 5,7, 8 and 11. The construction of this identity adapts to the correlate of emotion, which can reduce the imposition of advising, thus saving the advice-receiver’s negative face and making it easier for the advice-receiver to accept the advice.
The identity of an amiable expert is also mainly constructed to adapt to the correlate of emotion. For example,
(7-9) PhD DPPM-5:
→ 1 T3：那个文献回顾再提一个建议，就是说，你现在是从哲学、文体、语言、语用、批评语言学，是吧？
‘As for the literature review, I want to raise another suggestion.That is to say, now you (should do a review) from the perspectives of philosophy, stylistics, linguistics, pragmatics and critical linguistics, right?’
2 S： 嗯。
‘Yes.’
→ 3 T3：可能有点远，可能有点远。哦，我的建议呢，你是按照主题来，就是说，按照比如说，转述的类型、主题来源啊，按主题来。然后呢就是，有些是从，比如说关于转述的动词，是吧？转述词汇，那么不同的学科当中都有哪些研究。按主题呢，就跟你这个研究呢就是更加，看上去更加relevant=
‘Perhaps it is a little far. My suggestion is that you (can review the previous studies) according to the topics, that is, for example, the categories of reporting, the source of the topics.Then you may start, for example, from the reporting verbs,right? As for reporting words, what has been done by the previous studies in different disciplines? If you review the previous studies in terms of the topics, they will be more relevant to your study.’
4 S： =我是这样想的就是，文献综述是这几个角度嘛。
‘This is what I have thought (about the literature review).Literature review can be conducted from these several perspectives.’
5 T3：嗯。
‘Mm.’
6 S： 先写上，后面一章写转述动词的时候我会先在前面会说一下。
‘I just write them here. When I write about the reporting verbs in the next chapter, I will mention it at the very beginning.’
7 T3：嗯。
‘Mm.’
8 S： 然后再再下面分析，每章每章都有。
‘Then I will analyze it (in the following chapters). Every chapter will have it.
9 T3：每章都有？
‘Every chapter will all have it?’
10 S： 对。都有。
‘Yes. All the chapters will have (this kind of analysis).’
→ 11 T3：那你不能就是说语言学，然后把这三个维度融进去，是吧？我觉得就是文献回顾怎么样体现它的relevance,是吧？就是说，你可以在你的回顾的第一段说，关于这个东西人们已经从那个学科去做了，但是呢你下面开始具体的去回顾的时候，你还是按照你下面的这个文章主题，维度，每个维度去，关于这个维度人家做了什么，关于那个维度人家做了什么，就这样的话呢，你就可以看到不同的研究视角对于同一个研究维度可能说了一些什么东西，它们之间有些什么差别，甚至有些什么争议，是吧？你这样，有助于你最后做一个文，一个：：：critical review。
‘Then you can’t say, that is to say, these three dimensions are then melted into linguistics, right? I think (you should consider)how they reflect their relevance to (your study) in the literature review, right? That is to say, you may demonstrate in the first paragraph of the literature review that as for this(issue), what disciplines have discussed it. However, when you start your specific review in the following parts, you still need to review the previous studies in terms of their topics. You need to see what has been done by the previous studies on different dimensions (of the issue). If you do it like this, you may see what has been done and said by the previous studies on the same issue from different research perspectives or research dimensions, to find out the differences between them and to work out what are their controversies. Right? If you do it like this, it will be helpful for you to conduct a critical review (of the previous studies).’
In this example, T3 gives S some advice on her literature review. T3 constructs his default expert identity by bluntly using the statements including nouns of suggestion, that is, “那个文献回顾再提一个建议” (‘As for the literature review, I want to raise another suggestion’), in line 1 and “我的建议呢” (‘my suggestion is’), in line 3.
However, in the process of this interaction, T3 uses mitigation devices“可能” (‘perhaps’), in line 3, and many tag questions, in lines 3 and 11. In addition, an account is offered at the end of line 11 “你这样，有助于你最后做一个文，一个：：：critical review。” (‘If you do it like this, it will be helpful for you to conduct a critical review (of the previous studies).’). All of these help T3 to make his expert identity more specific and the aspect of being amiable is made salient in this dynamic process, closing the emotional distance between T3, the advice-giver and S, the advice-receiver.
Identities constructed to adapt to the interlocutors’ face want
These types of identities can be divided into two types, in academic advising interaction. One includes those identities constructed to save the advice-givers’ positive face and the other consists of those identities constructed to save the advice-receivers’ negative face[4]. The following two subsections will deal with how advice-givers construct various identities to adapt to negative face and positive face respectively.
Identities constructed to adapt to the advice-givers’ positive face
In academic advising interaction, the identity of a layperson is mainly constructed to adapt to the advice-givers’ positive face. For example,(7-10) PhD DPPM-5:
1 T3：然后就是呢这个，语料库啊，哦：我也不是这方面专家，我还是想这个强调，就是说，你这里面，就是还是到时候要有类型的差别。主要有两个，一个呢就是报纸类型的差别。
‘Then as for corpus, I’ m not an expert. But I still want to emphasize that there should be some different categories in(your study). There are mainly two differences. One is the difference of the type of newspaper.’
2 S： 嗯。
‘Mm.’
3 T3：第二个呢就是哦::新闻事件的差别。最好能够有一些categories。比如说是报纸，还是官方的，哦：：跟民间的，是吧？
‘The second one is the difference of news events. You’d better have some different categories. For example, official newspaper and popular newspaper, right?’
4 S： 嗯。
‘Yes.’
5 T3：地方的那种小报。比如说，事件类型你你也可以分，因为你这样的话，你到时候去统计的话呢，你就可以不仅做T-test，你还可以做correlation analysis，是吧？因为你作为一个博士论文，我看你现在这个四五六章，哦五六七章的话，你到时候很可能就是一个非常单一的一个(表格)，那你到时候写，你写不下去。就是你的篇幅哦会非常有限。而且呢就是说，从博士论文来讲的话，就是你的，要有多维度=
‘the local tabloid. For example, you may also divide the events into different categories because if you do it like this, you can not only do T-test, but also do a correlation analysis when you do statistics. Right? As for a doctoral dissertation, now you have chapters four, five and six, but the contents of the forms in these chapters will be very simple. It will be difficult for you to write. The length of your dissertation will be very limited.Besides, as for a doctoral dissertation, you need to have different dimensions.’
6 S： =嗯。
‘Mm.’
7 T3：要有交叉的东西，你不能单维度的那个，硕士论文就可以这样做，是吧？如果把这个标题改成硕士论文，它也照样可以做。但博士论文呢要有要有complications，也就是说，多维度的这个，哦：有相关，因素的相关分析，是吧？这样的话呢，就不只是一个差异间的。另外，还有各种的相关分析，就是说，比如说这个转述是不是会受到报纸类型的影响？会不会受到事件类型的影响？可能还有其他，我我只是这个呵呵呵。
‘You should have some intersections instead of only one dimension (in your study). It’s OK to do an MA thesis with only one dimension. This title can also be conducted as an MA thesis.But a doctoral dissertation should have complications. That is to say, it should have different dimensions. It should have correlation analysis of factors, right? If a doctoral dissertation is conducted like this, it will not be only the difference. In addition, various correlation analysis should also be considered. That is to say, for example, (to examine) whether the reporting will be influenced by the types of newspaper,and whether the reporting will be influenced by the types of events. Maybe there are still other factors. I just (take these as an example) (laughs softly).’
In this example, T3, at the very beginning of line 1, straightforwardly constructs himself an identity of layperson in the research field of corpus by claiming that he is not an expert in the study related to corpus through his utterance, “语料库啊，哦：我也不是这方面专家” (‘As for corpus, I’m not an expert.’). Based on this identity of a layperson, T3 gives his advice in lines 1, 3,5 and 7. T3, as an expert advice-giver, explicitly constructs himself an identity of a layperson, but at the same time he maintains his expert identity, that is,giving S some advice, even while he denies his identity of an expert in the related research field. His constructing a layperson identity therefore serves to reduce his commitment to the proposition of advising he will make, which helps to save his positive face. The construction of this identity is a pragmatic strategy for self-protection. It is a strategy of self-protection of the expert identity and is the reflection of the advice-giver’s pragmatic awareness(Verschueren, 1999; Yuan, 2011b).
Identities constructed to adapt to the advice-receivers’ negative face
In the academic advising interaction, the identity of a novice researcher is mainly constructed to adapt to the advice-receivers’ negative face. For example,
(7-11) PhD DPPM-1:
1 T2：就是，你可以，基本上意思，我可能知道你的意思，就是表达，不太：：特别的：让读者感觉舒服这个。这个：：，然后，哦I initiate a framework，但我的印象还不是特别清楚你的framework是什么=‘That is, I may know what you mean to do, but your expression is not good and will make the readers feel uncomfortable.Then you said ‘I initiate a framework’, but it is still not clear to me.’
2 S： =嗯。
‘Mm.’
→ 3 T2：(2.0) simpler syntax，这个simpler syntax 需要大写。(11.0)然后，最后这个说In my research I demonstrate that there is no single ((读文字))。是不是有人这么说，有一个single ((读文字))。我感觉以前老外经常，我以前也经常被老外批评，你这是不是，你的target是不是你自己设立起来的。就是说：：：我也被批评过，我只好，嗯呵呵呵，所以来批评你。就是说，(2.0)就是当我们要要表达自己的贡献的时候一定要非常，不容易做理论就是这个意思。就是说又不能太过，但是的确要有贡献。(1.0)这个，哦：是不是有人这么说了，我感觉搞形式的人他也不会这么说。(2.0)他就是说，我只能，另外人家的目的不一样。他就是，我就是研究这个纯粹的，在什么最简方案之下，这个存在句的生成过程。你的目的不是要解决存在句的一切问题。
‘‘Simpler syntax’, this ‘simpler syntax’ needs to be capitalized.(11.0) Then the last one is ‘In my research I demonstrate that there is no single ((reading…)).’ Has anyone said that there is‘single ((reading…)).’ I feel that I was often criticized by foreigners (foreign experts) regarding whether my target was established by myself. That is, I have been criticized (because of a similar fault), so here I am criticizing you (laughs softly).That is to say, when we express our contributions, we must be very careful. So it’s not easy to do some research at the theoretical level. That is, we should not go too far but we must have our own contributions. For example, has anyone said this? But I think those doing formal linguistics will not say it like this. Besides, their purposes will be different. So he will,I will only focus on the study of the generation process of existential sentences purely within the framework of the Minimalist Program. Your purpose is not to solve all of problems (of the existential sentences).’
4 S： 对。
‘Right.’
5 T2：所以你就很难批评他那个。(5.0)
‘So it will be difficult for you to criticize his idea.’
As discussed in Section 5.2.2, T2 constructs himself an identity of a novice researcher by mentioning his past research experience, as a beginner indicated by “我感觉以前老外经常，我以前也经常被老外批评，你这是不是，你的target是不是你自己设立起来的” (‘I feel that I was often criticized by foreigners (foreign experts) whether your target was established by yourself.’)in line 3. This identity is temporarily constructed to reduce the illocutionary force of criticizing in the current context, thus adapting to the advice-receiver’s negative face want.
However, this identity of a novice researcher is also constructed to negatively adapt to the advice-giver’s positive face want, i.e., to deliberately threaten his own positive face. The unique functioning mechanism of this identity is that it is constructed by advice-givers to save the advice-receivers’negative face by bluntly threatening their own positive face, thus reducing the imposition of advising.