ABSTRACT
This chapter explores language usage in various comedy sketches which perform Glaswegian identities. It examines language variation in relation to identity as well as the role of identity in the production of comedy. These fields connect through the concept of performance and show how certain identities are performed and portrayed on the small screen. Chambers has stated that 'language is not primarily a means of communication; it is, a means of cultural construction in which our very selves are constituted'. A wealth of literature exists examining the relationship between identity and linguistic change, from W. Labov's pioneering investigation in Martha's Vineyard. Tabouret-Keller has stated that individual and social identity are mediated by language – linguistic features bind such identities together and 'language acts are acts of identity'. The visual elements are supposed to be representative of the characters, and what they are doing during the sketches. Much of the success of these sketches is based on in-group humour.
