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Positionings and Tensions Among Discursive Acts in a Colombian EFL Classroom: Interpretations of Linguistic Identity
Posicionamientos y tensiones emergentes entre actos discursivos en el aula de inglés: interpretaciones sobre la identidad lingüística
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v27n1.115980Keywords:
discourse analysis, EFL classroom, linguistic identity, positioning theory (en)análisis del discurso, aula de inglés, identidad lingüística, teoría del posicionamiento (es)
This article presents a qualitative study exploring how eleventh-grade EFL students in a Colombian private school construct their linguistic identities through discursive positioning practices. In the context of language standardization, students negotiate their identities amid tensions between institutional frameworks and actual discursive practices. Drawing on discourse analysis, positioning theory, conversational analysis, and speech acts theory, the study reveals the struggle between an imagined ideal of English proficiency and learners’ lived experiences. Findings highlight how institutional discourses influence students’ perceptions of themselves and others, fostering both conformity and resistance. The implications emphasize the need for socially responsible language education practices that challenge hegemonic ideologies and empower learners to redefine their linguistic identities.
Este estudio cualitativo explora cómo estudiantes de undécimo grado de la clase de inglés en un colegio colombiano construyen sus identidades lingüísticas mediante el posicionamiento discursivo. En un contexto de estandarización del lenguaje, los estudiantes negocian sus identidades entre tensiones de marcos institucionales y prácticas discursivas reales. A través del análisis del discurso, la teoría del posicionamiento, el análisis conversacional y la teoría de los actos de habla, el estudio revela la lucha entre ideas imaginadas de competencia en inglés y practicas discursivas reales. Los hallazgos destacan cómo los discursos institucionales influyen en las percepciones colectivas, fomentando conformidad o resistencia, y subrayan la necesidad de prácticas educativas responsables que desafíen ideologías hegemónicas.
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