Language and power

Question 1

N. Fairclough and R. Wodak 1997

Answer 1

• instrumental power, explicit and imposed by a higher authority e.g. legal systems
• imposed by gov, legal, places of work
• sets clear expectation people will follow the instructions and clear penalties if not
• influential power, power used to influence and persuade, personal

Question 2

Shan Wareing

Answer 2

outlined other forms of power
- political ( held by politicians, police and law courts)
-personal ( hold power as a result of role and occupation
- social group ( social variables such as class, gender, age)

Question 3

Fairclough

Answer 3

• power in discourse, situations where power relationships are set up and enacted
• power behind discourse, organisation of institutions and effects of those power relations on various uses of language

Question 4

Kraus and Keltner

Answer 4

social group power and language
- studied how those born into wealth and privilege communicate
findings:
- wealthier people far more likely appear distracted when talking e.g. fidget and doodle
- those on other end of scale far more attentive and effort to engage in convo

Question 5

Van Dijk

Answer 5

powerful language
- argues everyone has personal power stemming from speech patterns and how they speak
- power stems from roles in society, links to fairclough and wareing
- like a doctor and patient

Question 6

Guy

Answer 6

Social group power
- differences in social prestige, wealth and power are some of most important sociolinguistic divisions
- differences in lexical choices, phonology, grammar
- link to wareing

Question 7

Steven Lukes

Answer 7

• examined concept of power as domination and suggested the powerful secure and compliance of those they dominate
• challenges wareing and van dijk
• concept ‘power over’ but argues not all types of power over are negative or have an adverse effect on the subordinate party

Question 8

Politeness theory

Answer 8

face threatening acts determined by considering the combination of 3 variables
1) power, refers to perceived power dynamic between speaker and hearer
2) distance, amount of social distance between speaker and hearer e.g. close friend
3) rank, degree of sensitivity of the topic within a particular culture e.g. age, weight

Question 9

criticisms

Answer 9

• accused of being ethnocentric, fails to recognise politeness can vary around the world