Faculty Publications

Formulaic Expressions, Chinese Proverbs, And Newspaper Editorials: Exploring Type And Token Interdiscursivity In Japanese Wedding Speeches

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Journal of Linguistic Anthropology

Volume

16

Issue

2

First Page

153

Last Page

172

Abstract

This article elucidates the distinction between type and token interdiscursivity (Silverstein 2005) through an analysis of Japanese wedding speeches. Type interdiscursivity is genre defining, involving the use of speech formulae to frame the performance as an instance of the wedding speech genre. By contrast, token interdiscursivity in these speeches involves the artful insertion of quoted texts that are reinterpreted in the wedding speech context. Through a process of citation, quotation, and exegesis, speakers construct the replicated text as authoritative and borrow the authority of prior speakers for their own rhetorical purposes. Both forms of interdiscursivity allow speakers to use existing cultural resources to create new texts that are simultaneously appropriate, authoritative, and creative. © 2006 by the American Anthropological Association.

Original Publication Date

12-1-2006

DOI of published version

10.1525/jlin.2006.16.2.153

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