Altering distance and defining authority

Abstract

This article studies the use of nominal terms and pronouns as a means to refer to a third party, as well as to the writer him/herself and the addressee in written interaction. The purpose is to discuss the concepts of person reference and social deixis by looking at how the interactants' social identities and interpersonal relationships are encoded in the use of referential terms in Late Modern English letters and journals. The results show that the term friend may be used when the writer has something to gain from it: an actual favour, a reciprocal act of solidarity, or an access to the addressee's/referent's in-group. In general, shifting between in-group/out-group membership appears to be a common function for the use of friend. The use of addressee-and self-oriented reference is in turn determined by the social and contextual aspects of appearance, attitude, and authority.

The Silent Language of Political Communication of President Vladimir Putin

“…Distance settings determine the closeness or how high the level of familiarity of a person with other people when communicating [29]. The interaction distance of the communication participants can be interpreted from the way the communication participants take distance when communicating.…”

Constructing Identities and Negotiating Relationships in Late Eighteenth-century England

“…In the project Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers, our approach to the study of forms of address chiefly builds on the research carried out on Early Modern English data by Nevala (2004Nevala ( , 2009, and is furthermore informed by Nevalainen and Raumolin-Brunberg (1995) and Raumolin-Brunberg (1996). More specifically, we are interested in using Nevala's (2004) detailed typology of direct address (e.g., "My dear friend") and subscription formulae (e.g., "ever yours affectionately"), as well as in mapping the politeness continuum identified for Early Modern correspondence onto the Late Modern period (see also Yáñez-Bouza & Oudesluijs, forthcoming).…”