On the use of the personal pronoun we in communities

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to show the existing relationships between the concept of community and the linguistic forms used to convey or even to manipulate it. First of all, the limits and restrictions of any form of community will be defined. Second, one specific form of community will be selected for analysis. The community chosen will be the Parliamentary community, and the linguistic form singled out for study will be the first person plural pronoun “we”. We will try to discover any type of relationship between (a) the scope of reference of this personal pronoun and (b) the intentions of the person who uttered it. In this way, we can see whether there is any connection between personal identity (in terms of inclusion/exclusion from a group) and pronominal choice. This could also lead us to the discovery of any possible strategic use of this personal pronoun.

Stylistic Analysis of Deictic Expressions in President Benigno Aquino III’s October 30th Speech

“…The results of the present study point are consistent with what previous studies deixis found, especially concerning use of personal deictic expressions (Adetunji 2006, Urban 1986, Wilson 1990, Inigo-Mora 2004.…”

“…Consistent with Urban (1986), Aquino's use of ‗we' in the speech serves to persuade the Filipino people to believe that his government is clean and honest and eager to go after those who misused government funds in the past. The use of ‗we' can also be seen as an attempt to enact personal identity as espoused in Inigo-Mora (2004). In his case, PNoy's use of ‗we' serves to establish an identity that is close to the Filipinos' collective ideologies and aspirations, in order to achieve what Adetunji (2006) calls anchorage in political discourse, which is important not only in the remaining years of Aquino's presidency but also in the years beyond that.…”

“…A number of studies have turned their focus on the rich research potential there is in deixis (Urban 1986, Maitland & Wilson 1987, Lwaitama 1988, Wilson 1990, Kuo 2001& 2002, Inigo-Mora 2004.…”

Deictic Expressions in President Benigno Aquino Iii’s Eulogy for the Fallen PNP-Saf Troopers: A Stylistic Analysis

“…He knew the feeling and he would as much as possible ease and offer solace to them. The use of "we" can also be seen as an attempt to enact personal identity as espoused in Inigo-Mora (2004). In his case, PNoy"s use of "we" serves to establish an identity that is close to the Filipinos" collective ideologies and aspirations, in order to achieve what Adetunji (2006) calls anchorage in political discourse, which is important not only in the remaining years of Aquino"s presidency but also in the years beyond that.…”

Documenting an Endangered Language: The Inclusive First‐Person Plural Pronoun Kākou as a Resource for Claiming Ownership in Hawaiian

“…Prior research has suggested that first‐person plural pronouns in languages such as English without a structural inclusive/exclusive distinction can become strategic resources for the construction of community because their meanings can be manipulated in discourse (Maier ; Muhlhauser and Harre ; Pennycook ). Inigo‐Mora () demonstrated how the English pronoun “we” worked both to include and exclude members in the British Parliament, and Dam () described the use of first‐person plural pronouns in a Danish magazine to create an inclusive community based on gender. In contrast, the overt dual/plural and inclusive/exclusive distinctions in Hawaiian make it explicit whether an inclusive or exclusive community is being constructed.…”