A Study Of Identity Construction Function Of British English

The relationship between language and society is bidirectional,for language can both influence and be influenced by society.Language is a social phenomenon,which can reflect various social culture and construct its user's social identities.In sociology,Ludwig Wittgenstein firstly discusses the “social constructivism”.Tames Paul Gee,an American sociologist,thinks that when people talk or write,they are undertaking several constructing tasks rather than merely employing languages.At present,researches on functions of language in social identity construction are prosperous.Supported by theories home and abroad,the proposition “language can construct its user's social identities” is unquestionable.However,researches on the functions of social identities constructed by a specific language or language variety are few.Therefore,it is necessary to conduct researches on this field.Under the background of globalization,English as an international language has two main varieties: British English and American English.British English,as one of the two main English varieties,can construct its user's social identities.Therefore,the study is about the functions of British English in identity construction.With the method of video analysis and document analysis,the English varieties spoken by the protagonists in English movies like My Fair Lady and The Parent Trap are analyzed.From the analysis,people can construct different social identities by using different English varieties.Through the contrast between American English and British English in pronunciation,vocabulary and syntax,the reasons why different English varieties can construct different social identities can be figured out.During the research,a person's use of a certain English variety indicates an expectation for certain identities.Usually,a language variety can construct a person's identity from his nation,social class,profession as well as educational background.The differences of British English identity construction are embodied in social class disparity,gender difference,regional difference and etc.The study concludes that people can make use of the identity construction function to establish his social class identity,national identity,professional identity and his personal characteristics.By appropriately using the identity construction function of British English,people can make one of his expected identity stand out and it can also resolve social conflicts to make the society more harmonious.However,some negative influences to establish one's identity accidentally must be avoid when using the identity construction functions of British English.Besides,only by following the rules of British English appropriately instead of following the crowd blindly,can the functions of British English in identity construction be used correctly and efficiently.