Face and identity in interaction: A focus on Tunisian Arabic

This paper investigates the notions of face and facework in Tunisian Arabic (TA)interactions in relation to the notion of identity. It builds on a previous study (Labben, 2017) in which I explored the emic meanings of face as encoded in TA lay expressions from a social psychological identity perspective. To further explore the concept of face in Tunisian culture, particularly in its connectedness with the notion of identity, the present paper uses TA interactional data collected in authentic communication contexts and perception data collected by means of a post-event interview. Consistently with lexemic meanings, the paper shows that face and identity in Tunisian culture are inextricably interrelated, and that face maintenance and enhancement are contingent upon the fulfillment of culture-specific values. The study has implications for emic and etic conceptualizations of face.