Struck by speech revisited: Embodied stance in jurisdictional discourse¹

Abstract

This paper illustrates how stance functions as a semiotic resource that feeds into and mediates institutional context. I consider stance not only as linguistic expression but as interactive, bodily engagement, synchronized in multimodal layers of participation. Using data from a focus group interview, I examine how stance emerges in the collaborative rhythms of linguistic, paralinguistic and, most prominently, embodied conduct between speaker and listener to index socio-cultural knowledge about the jurisdictional division of labor among legal professionals. Drawing on Charles Frake's classic 'Struck by speech,' I illustrate not only how a speaker strikes his listener with speech, but also how the body of the listener displays being struck.

Participant learning in and through research as reflexive dialogue: Being ‘struck’ and the effects of recall

“…So that was useful, that was useful. (Interview 3) When discussing Barbara's use of 'they' and my different interpretations of her narrated experience as 'trying to disassociate myself from the rest of the group', Barbara gave a slight laugh, again perhaps indicating (Matoesian, 2005) a 'striking moment' (Cunliffe, 2002). More directly, Barbara indicated being struck by repeating 'that was/that's fascinating', drawing attention to 'quite an interesting point', implying that she was struck by not having the language to make sense of why she was acting or feeling the way she had done (Cunliffe, 2002) in the incident.…”

“Be steady then, my countrymen, be firm, united and determined”

“…Other recent trends include research on subjectivity in naturally occurring conversation (Scheibman 2002;Kärkkäinen 2003), as well as a recognition of the socio-cultural dimension of stance taking, viewed as a way to realize social identities (Ochs 1996;Matoesian 2005). Related aspects, such as the cross-cultural and developmental nature of stance marking, have also been recently investigated (Precht 2003;Fitzmaurice 2004).…”

The role of emotions in relational work

“…"Embodied intersubjective participation" (Wilce, 2009:51) is also the focus of Matoesian's (2005) close conversation-analytical reading of a focus-group interview in the context of a US training programme in community policing. Matoesian analyses how the interactors signal their stance towards the propositions made during the interview.…”