Intertextual stancetaking and the local negotiation of cultural identities by a binational couple1

Recent approaches to stance emphasize the dialogic nature of stancetaking, drawing attention to turn‐by‐turn negotiation of stance. This study expands that view by focusing upon cases where the stancetaker responds not to a stance in the immediately prior turn, but to prior stances in the ongoing relationship between interlocutors, to construct distinct identities. The data come from a sociolinguistic interview conducted with a couple who constructed contrasting identities through stances related to cultural differences. I examine the linguistic strategies this couple uses to take divergent stances: constructed dialogue; verb tense; and time adverbials. I introduce the term constructed stance in parallel with constructed dialogue. Analysis of stances taken by attributing a stance to oneself or another through constructed dialogue supplements previous research by demonstrating how a longitudinal dimension can be introduced even with a single interaction as data source. This underscores how local stances can contribute to more enduring identities.