Exploring linguistic representations of identity through the DiSCIS corpus: evidence from Directive acts in Plautus and Goldoni

This paper illustrates the theoretical background and structure of a sociopragmatically annotated corpus based on Plautus’ and Goldoni’s comedies, named DiSCIS (Diachronic Socio-pragmatic Corpus of Imaginary Speech). After presenting the corpus , we illustrate how it can be used in order to explore linguistic strategies representing identity. More precisely, we focus on a specific type of Speech Act, i.e., Directives, which constitute a fruitful laboratory to explore the dynamics of identity expression and negotiation. Directives are by definition potentially impolite acts that threaten the interlocutor’s negative face and tend to be modulated under certain circumstances through pragmatic strategies. These strategies are analyzed through a pragmatic and historical-variationist case study that compares the use of Directives in two languages, namely Latin and Italian, in two different historical periods, across different social classes of speakers differing by gender, age and social rank.