Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Conceptualising Professional Identity

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Learning Business English in China

Abstract

This chapter presents the conceptualisation of professional identity. By drawing on research in communities of practice, professional socialisation, discourse, identity, indexicality, and business genre knowledge, professional identity is viewed as emergent in participatory learning in communities of practice. It is also seen as involving the dual process of acquiring semiotic resources and experiences for performing a social role as well as undergoing changes in the perception of self in relation to the social role. It is described with reference to four constituting factors, which are professional goal, values and perspective on international business professionals, technical competence, and discursive competence. It is co-constructed in discursive practices with genre knowledge as the indexing resource. These understandings are incorporated into a working definition of professional identity to guide the study this book reports on.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Artemeva, N. (2006). Approaches to learning genres: A bibliographical essay. In N. Artemeva & A. Freedman (Eds.), Rhetorical genre studies and beyond (pp. 9–99). Winnipeg, Manitoba: Inkshed Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Artemeva, N. (2008). Toward a unified social theory of genre learning. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 22, 160–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Artemeva, N. (2009). Stories of becoming: A study of novice engineers learning genres of their profession. In C. Bazerman, A. Bonini, & D. Figueiredo (Eds.), Genre in a changing world (pp. 158–178). Fort Collins, CO: The WAC Clearinghouse/West Lafayette, IN: Parlor Press. Retrieved September 14, 2010, from http://wac.colostate.edu/books/genre/

  • Artemeva, N., & Fox, J. (2011). The writing’s on the board: The global and the local in teaching undergraduate mathematics through chalk talk. Written Communication, 28, 345–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bargiela-Chiappini, F. (Ed.). (2009). The handbook of business discourse. Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bargiela-Chiappini, F., & Harris, S. (1997). Managing language: The discourse of corporate meetings. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bargiela-Chiappini, F., & Nickerson, C. (Eds.). (1999). Writing business: Genres, media, and discourses. Harlow, England: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bargiela-Chiappini, F., Nickerson, C., & Planken, B. (2013). Business discourse (2nd ed.). New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Barton, D., & Tusting, K. (Eds.). (2005). Beyond communities of practice: Language, power and social context. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bawarshi, A. S. (2003). Genre and the invention of the writer: Reconsidering the place of invention in composition. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bawarshi, A. S., & Reiff, M. J. (2010). Genre: An introduction to history, theory, research, and pedagogy. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, J. S. (2003). Back to school: Learning practices in a job retraining community. In R. Bayley & S. R. Schecter (Eds.), Language socialization in bilingual and multilingual societies (pp. 251–267). Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benwell, B., & Stokoe, E. (2006). Discourse and identity. Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkenkotter, C., & Huckin, T. N. (1993). Rethinking genre from a sociocognitive perspective. Written Communication, 10, 475–509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhatia, V. K. (1993). Analysing genre: Language use in professional settings. New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhatia, V. K. (2002). Professional discourse: Towards a multi-dimensional approach and shared practice. In C. N. Candlin (Ed.), Research and practice in professional discourse (pp. 39–60). Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhatia, V. K. (2004). Worlds of written discourse: A genre-based view. London: Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blommaert, J. (2005). Discourse: A critical introduction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, G., & Yule, G. (1983). Discourse analysis. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bucholtz, M. (2011). White kids: Language, race, and styles of youth identity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2005). Identity and interaction: A sociocultural linguistic approach. Discourse Studies, 7, 585–614.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cain, C. (1991). Personal stories: Identity acquisition and self-understanding in alcoholics anonymous. Ethos, 19, 210–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casanave, C. P. (1998). Transitions: The balancing act of bilingual academics. Journal of Second Language Writing, 7, 175–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charles, M. (1996). Business negotiations: Interdependence between discourse and the business relationship. English for Specific Purposes, 15, 18–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, A. (2007). Transferring generic features and recontextualizing genre awareness: Understanding writing performance in the ESP genre-based literacy framework. English for Specific Purposes, 26, 287–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, W. (2009). Future horizons: Asia. In F. Bargiela-Chiappini (Ed.), The handbook of business discourse (pp. 481–495). Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christie, F. (2012). Language education throughout the school years: A functional perspective. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, M. (2008). Language teacher identities: Co-constructing discourse and community. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connor, U. (1999). How like you our fish? Accommodation in international business communication. In M. Hewings & C. Nickerson (Eds.), Business English: Research into practice (pp. 116–129). Harlow, England: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Fina, A., Schiffrin, D., & Bamberg, M. (Eds.). (2006). Discourse and identity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deters, P. (2011). Identity, agency and the acquisition of professional language and culture. London: Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Devitt, A. J. (1991). Intertextuality in tax accounting: Generic, referential, and functional. In C. Bazerman & J. Paradis (Eds.), Textual dynamics of the professions: Historical and contemporary studies of writing in professional communities (pp. 336–357). Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dressen-Hammouda, D. (2008). From novice to disciplinary expert: Disciplinary identity and genre mastery. English for Specific Purposes, 27, 233–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eckert, P. (2008). Variation and the indexical field. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 12, 453–476.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, M., & Johnson, C. (1994). Teaching Business English. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, F. (1999). Appropriation of voice and presentation of self as a fellow physician: Aspects of a discourse of apprenticeship in medicine. In S. Sarangi & C. Roberts (Eds.), Talk, work and institutional order: Discourse in medical, mediation and management settings (pp. 109–143). Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Flowerdew, J. (2011). Action, content and identity in applied genre analysis for ESP. Language Teaching, 44, 516–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forey, G. (2004). Workplace texts: Do they mean the same for teachers and business people? English for Specific Purposes, 23, 447–469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gee, J. P. (2000). Identity as an analytic lens for research in education. Review of Research in Education, 25, 99–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gee, J. P. (2008). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gee, J. P. (2011). An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerritsen, M., & Nickerson, C. (2009). BELF: Business English as a lingua franca. In F. Bargiela-Chiappini (Ed.), The handbook of business discourse (pp. 180–192). Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, D. T. (1976). Careers in organizations. Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, D. T. (1987). Careers and socialization. Journal of Management, 13, 301–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halliday, M. A. K. (1994). An introduction to functional grammar (2nd ed.). London: Edward Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1976). Cohesion in English. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haneda, M. (2006). Classroom as communities of practice: A reevaluation. TESOL Quarterly, 40, 807–817.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, J., Jewson, N., & Unwin, L. (Eds.). (2007). Communities of practice: Critical perspectives. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyland, K. (1998). Exploring corporate rhetoric: Metadiscourse in the CEO’s letter. The Journal of Business Communication, 35, 224–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyland, K. (2004). Disciplinary discourses: Social interactions in academic writings. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Iedema, R. (2000). Bureaucratic planning and resemiotisation. In E. Ventola (Ed.), Discourse and community: Doing functional linguistics (pp. 47–69). Tübingen, Germany: Narr.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanno, Y., & Norton, B. (2003). Imagined communities and educational possibilities: Introduction. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 2, 241–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koester, A. (2010). Workplace discourse. London: Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kong, C. C. K. (1998). Are simple business request letters really simple? A comparison of Chinese and English business request letters. Text, 18, 103–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kong, C. C. K. (2006). The use of accounts as a politeness strategy in the internal directive documents of business firms in Hong Kong. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 16, 75–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lanham, R. A. (1983). Literacy and the survival of humanism. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (2006). Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Leech, G. N. (1966). English in advertising: A linguistic study of advertising in Great Britain. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y. Y. (2007). Apprentice scholarly writing in a community of practice: An intraview of an NNES graduate student writing a research article. TESOL Quarterly, 41, 55–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Louhiala-Salminen, L., Charles, M., & Kankaanranta, A. (2005). English as a lingua franca in Nordic corporate mergers: Two case companies. English for Specific Purposes, 24, 401–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maier, P. (1992). Politeness strategies in business letters by native and non-native speakers of English. English for Specific Purposes, 11, 189–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, C. R. (1984). Genre as social action. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 70, 151–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morita, N. (2004). Negotiating participation and identity in second language academic communities. TESOL Quarterly, 38, 573–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulholland, J. (1991). The language of negotiation: A handbook of practical strategies for improving communication. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, M. (2000). A corpus-based study of Business English and Business English teaching materials (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Manchester, Manchester.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, M. (2006). Semantic associations in Business English: A corpus-based analysis. English for Specific Purposes, 25, 217–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nickerson, C. (2000). Playing the corporate language game: An investigation of the genres and discourse strategies in English used by Dutch writers working in multinational corporations. Amsterdam, The Netherlands/Atlanta, GA: Rodopi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nickerson, C. (2005). English as a lingua franca in international business contexts. English for Specific Purposes, 24, 367–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norris, S. (2007). The micropolitics of personal national and ethnicity identity. Discourse & Society, 18, 653–674.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norton Peirce, B. (1995). Social identity, investment, and language learning. TESOL Quarterly, 29, 9–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ochs, E. (1993). Constructing social identity: A language socialization perspective. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 26, 287–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paltridge, B. (2000). Genre knowledge and teaching professional communication. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 43, 397–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickett, D. (1989). The sleeping giant: Investigations in Business English. Language International, 1, 5–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Planken, B. (2005). Managing rapport in lingua franca sales negotiations: A comparison of professional and aspiring negotiators. English for Specific Purposes, 24, 381–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards, K. (2006). Language and professional identity: Aspects of collaborative interaction. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Schryer, C. F. (1993). Records as genre. Written Communication, 10, 200–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schryer, C. F., & Spoel, P. (2005). Genre theory, healthcare discourse, and professional identity formation. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 19, 249–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scollon, R., & Scollon, S. W. (2001). Intercultural communication: A discourse approach (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smart, G., & Brown, N. (2002). Learning transfer or transforming learning?: Student interns reinventing expert writing practices in the workplace. Technos, 18, 117–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stalpers, J. (1995). The expression of disagreement. In K. Ehlich & J. Wagner (Eds.), The discourse of business negotiation (pp. 275–290). Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Stehlik, T., & Carden, P. (Eds.). (2005). Beyond communities of practice: Theory as experience. Flaxton, QLD: Post Pressed.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swain, M., Kinnear, P., & Steinman, L. (2011). Sociocultural theory in second language education: An introduction through narratives. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tann, K. (2010). Imagining communities: A multifunctional approach to identity management in texts. In M. Bednarek & J. R. Martin (Eds.), New discourse on language: Functional perspectives on multimodality, identity, and affiliation (pp. 163–194). London: Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tardy, C. M. (2009). Building genre knowledge. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Dijk, T. A. (2009). Society and discourse: How social contexts influence text and talk. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J. (2010). Convergence in the rhetorical pattern of directness and indirectness in Chinese and U.S. business letters. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 24, 91–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watts, R. J. (1987). Development of professional identity in black clinical psychology students. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 18, 28–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Yates, J., & Orlikowski, W. J. (1992). Genres of organizational communication: A structurational approach to studying communication and media. Academy of Management Review, 17, 299–326.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Z. C. (2015). Disagreements in plenary addresses as multimodal action. In B. C. Camiciottoli & I. Fortanet-Gómez (Eds.), Multimodal analysis in academic settings: From research to teaching (pp. 17–38). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

    Zuocheng Zhang

Authors
  1. Zuocheng Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Zhang, Z. (2017). Conceptualising Professional Identity. In: Learning Business English in China. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59291-6_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59291-6_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-59290-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-59291-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation