Life Stories

The Creation of Coherence

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Linguistics
Cover of the book Life Stories by Charlotte Linde, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Charlotte Linde ISBN: 9780190281878
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: July 1, 1993
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Charlotte Linde
ISBN: 9780190281878
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: July 1, 1993
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

All adult speakers in Western cultures have life stories argues Charlotte Linde, and the ways in which these life stories are formed and exchanged with others have a powerful effect on all of us. Life stories express our sense of self, who we are and how we got that way. According to Linde, we also use these stories to show that our lives can be understood as coherent, and to assert or negotiate group membership. These life stories take part in the highest level of social constructions, since they are built on cultural assumptions about what is expected in a life, what the norms for a successful life are, and what common or special belief systems are necessary to establish coherence. The life story, illuminated by this engrossing study, is a form of everyday discourse which has not previously been precisely defined or studied. It is an oral, discontinuous unit, consisting of stories which are retold in a variety of forms over a long period of time, and which may be revised and changed as the speaker comes to drop old meanings and add new ones to parts of the life story. The life story is a particularly rich and important area for study, because it represents a crossroads of linguistic structure and social practice. Linde's analysis is of importance to linguistics, as well as having broader implications for anthropology, psychology, and sociology.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

All adult speakers in Western cultures have life stories argues Charlotte Linde, and the ways in which these life stories are formed and exchanged with others have a powerful effect on all of us. Life stories express our sense of self, who we are and how we got that way. According to Linde, we also use these stories to show that our lives can be understood as coherent, and to assert or negotiate group membership. These life stories take part in the highest level of social constructions, since they are built on cultural assumptions about what is expected in a life, what the norms for a successful life are, and what common or special belief systems are necessary to establish coherence. The life story, illuminated by this engrossing study, is a form of everyday discourse which has not previously been precisely defined or studied. It is an oral, discontinuous unit, consisting of stories which are retold in a variety of forms over a long period of time, and which may be revised and changed as the speaker comes to drop old meanings and add new ones to parts of the life story. The life story is a particularly rich and important area for study, because it represents a crossroads of linguistic structure and social practice. Linde's analysis is of importance to linguistics, as well as having broader implications for anthropology, psychology, and sociology.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Politicizing Islam by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Globalization and the National Security State by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book The Land Speaks by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book The Mathematics of Sex by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Conducting Business in China by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Walter Camp by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book In the Beginning Was the Word by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Gender and Representation in Latin America by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Playing Along by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Teaching Civic Engagement by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book The Quest for Reality by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Blood Year by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Sherlock Holmes and the Sport of Kings Level 1 Oxford Bookworms Library by Charlotte Linde
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy