The language of identity discourse

introducing a systemic functional framework for iconography

Authors

  • Ken Tann The University of Sydney

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/lhs.v8i3.361

Keywords:

iconography, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Discourse Analysis

Abstract

This paper attempts to model the discursive construction of identity in a way that retains its multifaceted dynamics within a coherent framework. It examines the construction of a sense of communities, shared values, and historical figures as part of a collective culture, and proposes a model of iconography for the study of the linguistic mechanisms underlying these discursive tropes in identity discourses. Focusing on the exoticization of Japanese identity in popular texts, the study seeks to map out the potential space of this iconography, drawing on the latest research in Systemic Functional Linguistics and Legitimation Code Theory.

Author Biography

  • Ken Tann, The University of Sydney

    Ken Tann lectures at the University of Sydney on the application of linguistic research to identity issues in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. He adopts an interdisciplinary approach to discourse analysis, and his publications include work on both the English and Japanese languages, particularly in relation to nationalism and identity politics.

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Published

2013-12-05

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Tann, K. (2013). The language of identity discourse: introducing a systemic functional framework for iconography. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 8(3), 361-391. https://doi.org/10.1558/lhs.v8i3.361