Introduction: Background and Methodological Framework

The introduction offers an overview of the current state of research regarding the role of language in constructing and maintaining the core values at the heart of culture as a system of shared values that allow people to have an identity. The key goal of the book is to present an analytical method that enables the identification of the key linguistic patterns that serve as markers of the American national identity, as well as to trace their origins and to analyze their function in various speech genres. The introduction also provides an extended discussion of the methods employed in the book.