It is often argued that while writers use we to expresses solidarity with their readers, they use you to construct distance from them (e.g. Hyland, 2002a; Kim, 2006). Following Kitagawa and Lehrer (1990), however, I would argue that you is highly interactive and
can assist the writer to get the reader involved in the ongoing flow of argument in the text. It can also give a chief role to the reader by representing them as sharing what the writer says, believes, etc.Kitagawa and Lehrer (1990:752) argue that:
A sense of camaraderie is often present with the use of impersonal you
precisely because the speaker assigns a major „actor‟ role to the addressee. In so doing s/he is letting the hearer into the speaker‟s world view, implying that the hearer also shares the same perspective. This can be considered as an act of camaraderie.
(Kitagawa and Lehrer, 1990:752)
Kitagawa and Lehrer‟s (1990) view about the interactive effect of you in spoken discourse can be equally applied to written discourse, where the writer plays the role of the speaker and the reader plays the role of the addressee. Basically what I argue is that, in the genre of student argumentative essay writing, students essentially want to argue with and persuade their readers of their claims and that their use of you is to involve the readers explicitly in the text and expressing solidarity with them rather than to sound authoritative and to distance (e.g. as is often the case in the textbook genre or research articles). The immediate reader can easily identify themselves with you although you in its interactive sense refers to people in general (i.e. generic), not necessarily the reader alone. In fact, as we shall see below, if you refers to the immediate reader alone it is less interactive since in this sense it embodies an authoritative and distancing tone even though it is directly addressed to the reader and has a highly dialogic tone. On the other hand, when you has a generic reference it is more interactive and less authoritative since it is not the reader alone who is addressed by the writer but potentially all people. Accordingly, I have found two main functions exactly corresponding to the two main semantic references (generic and restricted you) respectively: all the instances of generic
you in the present data are counted as cases which perform the discourse function of „giving an active role to the reader and expressing solidarity with them‟ and all the instances of restricted you are counted as cases which serve the function of „setting up an imaginary dialogic engagement‟.
Students in the data seem to make use of generic you as an effective interpersonal strategy to assign an active role to their reader (i.e. the examiner), seeking to achieve solidarity and, ultimately, be more persuasive in their arguments. As noted earlier in section 4.2, generic you can be replaced with generic we without seriously affecting the informational content of the text. The interactional effect can, however, vary significantly. In (4.38), the writer assumes shared belief with the reader, presupposing that the reader also believes that the way one learns from television is important. The use of we assists the writer to express solidarity with the reader and makes them feel involved in the ongoing argument:
(4.38) In my opinion the way we learn from television is important… IR/A/6/5
Similarly, in (4.39) the writer expresses solidarity by giving an active role to the reader through you. The writer appears to assume that what s/he thinks is important is shared by the reader as well. In other words, the reader is allowed by the writer to enter the writer‟s world and see it from the writer‟s perspective. Generic you creates an audience with
which the reader can easily identify. Therefore, generic you can also assist the writer to express solidarity with the reader.
(4.39) In my opinion the way you learn from television is important… IR/A/6/5
Sometimes the writer anticipates the readers‟ objections, voices their concerns and expresses their views. The following extract shows how the writer interacts with the reader and voices the reader‟s potential concerns about watching TV through you:
(4.40) So, you have to be careful about how to use television! So, television, can be useful if you know how to use it and it can be dangerous and destroy your family. so if you carefully use it, it can be use full for
you. IR/A/6/50
The writer in this example anticipates that the reader may have some concerns about watching TV. Having anticipated the reader‟s concern, the writer textually constructs the reader as a discourse participant who has a similar understanding, goals, beliefs, etc. and merges the reader‟s voice into the fabric of the argument. Once the reader‟s viewpoints and concerns are expressed, the writer then draws his/her desired conclusion (i.e. TV can be useful if watched „carefully‟). In other words, the writer attempts to persuade the reader that watching TV can be useful by first addressing the reader‟s concerns and giving them an active role in constructing the argument (partly through generic you with
There are other instances where the writer uses you serving function (1) specifically to state a general truth. The argument (or the general truth) that the writer constructs can be potentially more convincing if the reader explicitly feels involved. The use of you assists the writer to explicitly engage with the reader and make them more receptive to the „general truth‟ expressed by the writer:
(4.41)
a. Also there's a big problem in watching T.V a lot. Your eyes might be damaged. IR/A/6/46 b. It is impossible to learn that you have contracted the disease for up to seven years. ICLE-ALEV-0005.7 c. According to researches, working will help you be more healthy both physically and mentally. IR/G/6/13 d. The menopause is the body's way of telling you that you are too old and
your body is no long capable of bearing a baby.
ICLE-ALEV-0003.8
The writers in these examples appear to intend to state a „universal reality‟. Through you,
they appear to create a discourse participant. They give an active role to the created participants by allowing them to share what the writer already knows, and thus express solidarity with the readers.