Repertoiresstories

Repertoiresstories is a coined term used in sociolinguistics and narrative studies to describe structured collections of personal narratives drawn from an individual’s or a community’s linguistic and cultural repertoires. The word combines repertoires, referring to the range of language varieties, genres, registers, and cultural resources a person can draw on, with stories, emphasizing narrative form as a key vehicle for expression and social meaning. As a concept, repertoiresstories aims to codify how people assemble and deploy multiple repertoires within storytelling across contexts.

The concept treats stories not as a single monolithic voice but as composites that reflect different social positions, audiences, and situations. Repertoiresstories can include stories told in different languages or dialects, varying levels of formality, and diverse genres such as oral history, humor, or personal reminiscence. Researchers often focus on how speakers select linguistic resources, adjust stance, and negotiate identity when moving between repertoires within a single narrative or across a set of narratives.

Methodologically, repertoiresstories involves collecting narratives from varied contexts, followed by transcription, annotation, and coding for register, code-switching, stance, audience design, and indexical meaning. Ethical considerations include informed consent and sensitivity to community norms around storytelling. Analysis may connect narrative choices to social factors such as ethnicity, class, age, and geography, and explore how repertoiresstories reveal power relations and cultural memory.

Related concepts include linguistic repertoire and narrative analysis. While not widely standardized, repertoiresstories provides a framework for examining how multi-repertoire storytelling shapes identity, social meaning, and cultural continuity.