Difference From The Identity Construction Of The Verbal Characterization Perspective Of Contemporary College Students

According to Fairclough, discourse practices are constructive, and it is through the use, selection and study of language that people construct and negotiate their identity. Language features, therefore, become the essential evidence of identity change. The present paper selects essays of undergraduate volunteers to analyze the changes in identity construction of contemporary university students.Data analysis is conducted within the framework of Social Theory of Discourse and discourse analysis in terms of the use of modality, mainly through the use of subjective modality, objective modality, high modality and low modality. The results indicate significant changes in the identity construction of contemporary university students. Their discourse highlights the construction of personal identity, expressing stronger individual awareness and image, and showing their views and power on things or relations. It is also observed that university students focus more on constructing their social identity, with a view to embody that they are important components of society and that their social status as well as individual value is emphasized. However, their group identity is not actively constructed, indicating a tendency of diminished sense of group belonging among contemporary university students.