Faculty Publications

Nosotros Como Familia: The Negotiation Of Group Identity In A Binational Community Of Practice

Document Type

Article

Keywords

borders, conflict repair, deictic expressions, First person plural, group identity

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Language and Intercultural Communication

Volume

21

Issue

5

First Page

543

Last Page

557

Abstract

This research explores intercultural communication at a binational organization in the Mexico-U.S. border region where Mexican and Anglo staff use the first personal plural ‘nosotros' to (de)emphasize group membership(s), repair conflict, and inclusively define their community of practice. In collaborative intergroup contexts, a collective identity is constructed by emphasizing shared tasks, especially with ‘nosotros.’ In intergroup conflict, antagonistic features highlight opposition between groups using the exclusive first personal plural and deictic expressions of location. Lastly, conflict repair recognizes intergroup differences and appeals to affective relationships to establish a shared identity.

Department

Department of Languages and Literatures

Original Publication Date

1-1-2021

DOI of published version

10.1080/14708477.2021.1943426

Repository

UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Language

en

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