Language and Power

Question 1

Instrumental Power

Answer 1

To make people do things or make things happen.
Example texts: legal or official documents, rules, contracts etc.
Example within text: Imperative sentences, modal auxiliaries (must, will, can), formal register.

Question 2

Influential Power

Answer 2

Power used to make people believe or support something - to persuade or influence others.
Examples: Assertions (opinions stated as facts), embedded assumptions (you will want to read this), metaphoric references (“ a healthy economy”, economy is not actually ‘healthy’)

Question 3

Grice Maxims

Answer 3

1. Relevance - be relevant
2. Quantity - dont say too much, too little.
3. Quality - is it truthful
4. Manner - be clear and well spoken.

Question 4

Brown and Levinson

Answer 4

In any interaction, we present an image of ourselves, this is called the “face”.
> if anything is said or done which challenges or rejects another’s face, it is a “face-threatening act”
Face needs are met by positive and negative politeness:
> Positive politeness - when we show people they are liked: done through flattery, showing interest and making it obvious we enjoy their company.
> Negative politeness - when we avoid intruding on other people’s lives - this involves in indirect language, apologetic and respectful.

Question 5

Robin Lakoff

Answer 5

most conversational interaction is governed by the “politeness principle” - she defined this by three maxims speakers usually observe:
> Dont impose - similar to negative politeness: “sorry to bother you”
> Give options - “its entirely up to you” “do you want to go first?”
> Make your receiver feel good - show you appreciate them “Id really appreciate your opinion on this”

Question 6

Norman Fairlough

Answer 6

Synthetic Personalisation - second person pronouns create relationship between between text producer and receiver.
Power in spoken discourse - unequal encounter between a powerful participant who imposes conversational constraints on the less powerful participator e.g. teacher/ student relationship
Power within the discourse - power exercised by the choice of language e.g. formal register/sophisticated language e.g. synonym choices.
> Power behind the discourse - the producers of the text have an external power behind linguistic features e.g. hierarchical, ideological, political.

Question 7

Wareing

Answer 7

Personal power - a result of their occupation e.g. teacher, managers, employers etc.
Political power - held by politiciams, the law e.g. police officers and workers in law courts.
Social group - those who held power as a result of social variables e.g. class, gender and age.