Self-presentation via direct speech in Greek adolescents ’ storytelling

This paper is concerned with the investigation of direct speech in Greek narratives. More specifically, the aim of this paper is to examine how the producers of oral narratives present themselves as interactional protagonists via direct speech representation in personal stories. In particular, this study focuses on the use of direct speech within the conversational narratives of Greek adolescent groups. I consider direct speech as an important device because of its saliency and functional richness in the narratives told by the adolescents. I will argue that, in the present narrative data, direct speech is very frequent and functions as a means of presenting oneself