ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some approaches to characterisation developed in literary studies and considers how the issue of language and people has been approached in linguistics. The humanising approach is represented by a diverse array of scholars who tend to make the assumption either that characters are imitations or representations of real people, or – the more extreme view – that they are actually real people. The conversation that takes place between characters is designed to be 'overheard', and presumably 'overseen', by the audience: it is part of what the playwright 'tells' the audience. Social psychologists often point to the important influence of appearance in forming impressions of people, and sociolinguists highlight the importance of speech features, such as accent, in evaluating people. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
