I start the discussion from Aristotle's concept of ethos. I explore the notion of ethos as developed by Maingueneau (2005) and Amossy (2005). Whereas such authors apply their theory to the genres inherent in the spheres of politics and publicity, I try to demonstrate how it is possible to visualize the construction of ethos in children's language, as well as in discourse practices of adults with a low level of schooling. I, thus, try to relate the construction of ethos to the construction of social and virtual identities (Cf. Goffman, 1975, 1996).
ethos; discourse; identity; construction