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Pronomial Use and Solidarity

The use of pronouns, or pronomial use, within daily interactions is often viewed as a person marker that verbalizes the perceived relationship between the two interactants. Given the importance of such markers, the study of pronomial usage in everyday talk can provide important clues to communication researchers about the level of solidarity, or closeness, between two individuals. Establishing the level of solidarity within the relationship provides researchers with additional information on the communication patterns unfolding within each interaction and how the broader community identity impacts each conversation. This entry defines pronomial usage, explores how solidarity is enacted through pronouns, and illustrates how communication researchers analyze solidarity through the use of pronouns in daily interactions.

Pronomial Usage

Pronouns are defined as words used to substitute for a noun within a sentence. Speakers use language to express meaning and create representations of themselves in relation to others within an interaction. When pronouns are used in place of nouns to address another person, they provide significant evidence of the relationship between the two individuals. For example, a speaker may say, “Michelle is a very good friend. We walk together almost every night.” The shift between the use of the individual’s first name to the use of the pronoun “we” signifies the identification of a relationship between the two individuals. In this manner, the social interaction and the words used to represent each individual may reflect both power differentials and solidarity levels.

According to communication researchers, the use of pronouns can provide essential information about establishment and maintenance of the relationship as well as the status of each of the two individuals engaged in the conversation. Because of the potential for pronouns to demonstrate relationship attitudes, they can also serve as measurements of the solidarity including identities of we-ness versus separateness as evidenced by the use of “we” versus “I” during verbal interactions. First-person plural pronouns (e.g., we, us, our) serve as conversation markers of shared identity or solidarity, whereas first-person singular pronouns (e.g., I, me, my) are indicative of individual identity or separateness. Therefore, analysis focused on the use of pronouns can capture the negotiation of joint and individual identities.

Solidarity

Solidarity is represented in a relationship by the use of pronouns that indicate similarity or relational distance in the characteristics exhibited by two or more individuals. Specifically, the level of solidarity exhibited is representative of the amount of social distance between the two individuals. If two parties share many characteristics linked to important aspects of their lives, (e.g., religion, sex, geographic location, race, occupation, hobbies), the social distance between them may be quite minimal as demonstrated by the use of pronouns in reference to their relationship. For example, an individual may indicate, “Thomas and I have been friends forever. We went to the same school and we grew up in the same neighborhood.” Here the speaker is establishing solidarity by highlighting characteristics both parties share in common as well as their shared history. Clearly, the speaker is indicating familiarity and a relational closeness based on time, proximity, and common experience.

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