Positionierung kontrastiv? Zum Kulturvergleich durch die Analyse von Positionierungsaktivitäten
Contrasting Positioning? Towards a Cross-Cultural Analysis through the Study of Positioning

Summary/Abstract: Positioning Theory represents a useful approach for studying cultural conceptualizations and patterns of language use. The notion could also be implemented in cross-cultural research, for example in contrastive discourse studies. Nevertheless, cross-cultural studies of positioning are rare. The aim of this paper is to elaborate foundations for further methodological considerations and practical applications of the Positioning Theory in contrastive discourse studies. It gives theoretical considerations, reflects existing literature where the notion is implemented in discourse studies and presents examples from a pilot study conducted to analyse the cross-cultural potential of positioning. By doing so, it identifies the possibilities and methodological challenges of the notion that arise when it is implemented in contrastive discourse analysis, beyond its initial role in Interaction Analysis. The implementation of Positioning Theory in contrastive discourse studies seems useful to shed light on specific cultural positions as well as formal and functional patterns of discursive positioning practices and resources. A contrastive discourse analysis that aims at cross-culturally comparing positioning activities requires extensive reflections on the analytical and methodological as well as theoretical levels. A requirement for the design of such studies is the use of operationalizable categories as analysed objects. Further challenges emerge regarding implicit positioning and the need to include cultural knowledge.

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