Masters Thesis

Language of identity: analyzing discourse in a YouTube video

This thesis explores how individuals exhibit and construct identities in conversation. Language and speaking styles are used (un)intentionally by speakers to signal group affiliations. The first section briefly reviews the literature related to identity formation, including evidence of the plasticity of identity. The second section, the analysis, looks at the styles of two speakers engaged in conversation on a YouTube video. Both speakers construct identities that serve as markers of place affiliation, status, power, gender, age, and ethnicity. In addition, the speakers demonstrate internalized schemas related to salons, work, cheating, stories, and performance. The conclusion summarizes these findings and suggests additional aspects of the speakers’ identities that could be obtained from further research.

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