Identity in Written Discourse

Abstract

This article provides an overview of theoretical and research issues in the study of writer identity in written discourse. First, a historical overview explores how identity has been conceived, studied, and taught, followed by a discussion of how writer identity has been conceptualized. Next, three major orientations toward writer identity show how the focus of analysis has shifted from the individual to the social conventions and how it has been moving toward an equilibrium, in which the negotiation of individual and social perspectives is recognized. The next two sections discuss two of the key developments-identity in academic writing and the assessment of writer identity. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the implications and future directions for teaching and researching identity in written discourse.

Reading and writing in nursing education

“…3.2.5 Evidence of a reflective mindset and a developing professional identity Scholars in composition have found that writing helps students engage in their learning and contributes to identity formation. [26][27][28] Sommers and Saltz found that the most successful student writers accept their status as "novices," which could be difficult for RNC students since they already are working in the field. In the past, Ellenbecker [12] described differences in how nursing students are socialized into the profession, with ADNs being socialized as technicians and BSNs as leaders.…”

Metadiscourse and Identity Construction in Teaching Philosophy Statements: A Critical Case Study of Two MATESOL Students

“…Corpus‐based textual analysis has been the primary analytic tool in the previous studies. However, because a thorough understanding of a writer's identity construction requires an understanding of the writer's linguistic choices (Matsuda, ), one possible shortcoming of engaging only in quantitative textual analyses, as pointed out by Harwood (), is that researchers may have imposed (a) preconceived ideas based on earlier literature or (b) their own intuition about why writers use certain discourse features, instead of asking writers about their personal motivations. In fact, even researchers who adopt only quantitative textual analyses (e.g., Gillaerts & Van de Velde, ) have conceded this limitation.…”

“…With regard to agency, Matsuda () further noted that following norms or conventions does not necessarily entail a lack of agency; rather, writers are agentive when they “choose to conform to gain access or avoid standing out” (p. 148). Such agency, he adds, includes “audience awareness as well as an awareness of how self is situated in complex relations of power” (p. 154).…”

“…Our analysis of their TPSs is guided by (a) Hyland's () metadiscourse model and (b) the constructs of regime of truth (Foucault, ) and imagined communities (Anderson, ; Norton, ). This study is also guided by Matsuda's () observation that identity in written discourse is (a) multiple and dynamic, (b) constructed through socially shared resources for meaning making, and (c) both individual and social. Further, we argue that an understanding of the motivation behind writers’ linguistic choices in relation to these constructs helps us better understand writer identity construction, which is contextually dependent (Flowerdew & Wang, ; Matsuda, ).…”

“…This study is also guided by Matsuda's () observation that identity in written discourse is (a) multiple and dynamic, (b) constructed through socially shared resources for meaning making, and (c) both individual and social. Further, we argue that an understanding of the motivation behind writers’ linguistic choices in relation to these constructs helps us better understand writer identity construction, which is contextually dependent (Flowerdew & Wang, ; Matsuda, ). From a writing instruction point of view (Tardy, ) and based on our findings, we also maintain that a pedagogical focus on how metadiscourse use is driven by context can enhance student teachers’ awareness of the TPS genre and thus help them effectively craft their TPS.…”