Chapter 11. Intertextuality as a means of positioning in a talk-show

The chapter examines the discourse of a Czech talk-show, an interview with the chairman of the Social Democratic Party of the Czech Republic. The twofold aim is to trace the process of mutual positioning in which both the host and the guest participate and to examine the role of intertextuality in the practices they use for this purpose. The interview is analyzed as an intertext built upon other texts, both external and internal to the current interaction: the host’s practices include allusions to voices coming from “outside”, as well as echoing the guest’s voices heard “inside” the interaction, and even reporting fictitious dialogues. We focus on the polyphony of voices arising in a talk-show and manipulative techniques used in the process of positioning.