'Give me a break already': Gender, laughter and the interviewed-self

Abstract

This chapter examines the ways in which participants negotiate expectations and norms in two ethnographic interviews recorded 11 years apart, as part of an ongoing study into the linguistic practices of women from the Kobe district. This chapter focuses on the discursive practices of the interlocutors in relation to gender, identity and sexuality. A micro-analysis of stance-taking strategies used in the interview talk shows that participants negotiate local articulation of their multiple identity positions by aligning with heteronormative expectations. The chapter highlights how participants negotiate local expectations and dominant gender norms. This chapter examines the ways in which par..