Tribhuvan University

Prithivi Narayan Campus

Programme: Master of Education

Semester: II

Course Title: Language, Society and Power

Course No.: Eng. Ed. 529

Course Facilitator: Narayan Prasad Sapkota

Unit II: Language and Power

Unit overview…

2.1 Language and power: accommodation and resistance

2.2 Globalization: language, power and identity

2.3 Power and society

2.4 Language and politics

2.5 Language and the media

2.6 Linguistic Imperialism

2.6.1 The sociology of language

2.6.2 English in core and periphery

2.6.3 Linguistic Imperialism and linguicism

2.6.4 Cultural imperialism in science, the media and education

2.6.5 The state, hegemony and ELT

2.6.5 Language spread and promotion: Promotion of English

2.6.6 Linguistic human rights

Language, Power

Language

Language is a shared property of the community, a correlation of linguistic and social factors.

Language is one of the resources used to accomplish social actions in interaction.

Language and culture are internal properties of the speaker and are intrinsically related.

Power

Ability to control one’s environment, influence events.

power is dynamic in its usage and can transform from one form of power to another

Language and Power

• The language–power relationships, and not language alone or power alone, in intergroup communication.

• the power behind language and the power of language.

• the power behind language: language is viewed as having no power of its own and yet can produce influence and control by revealing the power behind the speaker.

• the power of language: language reflects the collective/historical power of the language community that uses it.

• In both cases, language provides a widely used conventional means to transfer extralinguistic power to the communication context.

Language and Power:Power behind language and power of language.

.

Power behind Language

• Language reveals power

“Meet our demands, or we will shoot the hostages!”

• Language Reflects Power

Ethnolinguistic Vitality-an index of the community’s relative linguistic dominance

Power of Language

• Language Maintains Existing Dominance

linguistic imperialism

ascent of English,

linguistic sexism, and

legal language style

• Language Unites and Divides a Nation: language is a two-edged sword

Unity - Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang standardized the Chinese script (hanzi) as an important part of the reforms to unify the country after he had defeated the other states.

Division - Nepal (?)

Power of Language…contd.

Language Creates Influence

• Power of Single Words-descriptive action verbs (e.g., “hits”), interpretative action verbs (e.g., “hurts”) and state verbs (e.g., “hates”); abstract language will be used to represent positive in- group and negative out-group behaviors, whereas concrete language will be used to represent negative in-group and positive out-group behaviors.

• Oratorical Power - Martin Luther King

• Conversational Power-turn taking

• Narrative Power- al-Qaeda’s “the West is at war with Islam”

ConclusionThis chapter provides a systematic framework for understanding five language–power relationships, namely, language reveals power, reflects power, maintains existing dominance, unites and divides a nation, and creates influence. The first two relationships are derived from the power behind language and the last three from the power of language. Collectively they provide a relatively comprehensible framework for understanding the relationships between language and power, and not simply for understanding language alone or power alone separated from one another. The language–power relationships are dynamically interrelated, one influencing the other, and each can draw from an array of the cognitive, communicative, social, and identity functions of language. The framework is applicable to both interpersonal and intergroup contexts of communication, although for present purposes the latter has been highlighted.

Next Agendas …

2.1 Language and power: accommodation and resistance

2.2 Globalization: language, power and identity

2.3 Power and society

2.4 Language and politics

2.5 Language and the media

• These sections mainly present the interconnections between language and power in the context of identity politics.

• Regarding the interconnection between language and power, this takes the issue of globalization and its consequences upon language.

• Globalization is a political enterprise which makes political expansion over the world.

• Along with political expansion, language also spreads over the world and may also replace the local minority language.

2.1 Language and Power: Accommodation and resistance • Accommodation: an agreement or arrangement between people or groups

with different opinions which is acceptable to everyone; the process of reaching this agreement

• Resistance: dislike of or opposition to a plan, an idea, etc.; refusal to obey

• Concepts of language and power are inherently related and strongly connected with the notion of ‘cultural capital’

• Language is also a form of cultural capital, and linguistic capital can bedefined as ‘fluency in, and comfort with, a high-status, worldwide languagewhich is used by groups who possess economic, social, cultural andpolitical power and status in local and global society’ (Morrison, 2000:471).

- individuals and groups speaking global and majority languageshave considerable advantages over their counterparts whosemother tongues are ranked low on the social scale.

- Many benefits accrue to those speaking a major language. Theseinclude prestige, honour and educational credentials, that isspeaking the ‘right’ language becomes a form of capital orinvestment which can consolidate or enhance one’s credibility inthe non-material sector. ‘Moreover, privilege and prestige can betransmitted intergenerationally through forms of cultural capital’(Swarz 1996: 76).

• Following diagram presents the interconnections among globalization, language, power, and identity in the context of politics.

Language

Politics

Power

Accommodation Resistance

GlobalizationFor protection & promotion of minor

language

Cultural Capital (Pierre Bourdieu in the early 1970s)

Glocalization (Roland Robertson, 1994)

Economic Social Linguistics

- Online technology- Colonization: Ling. Imperialism- Migration

- Role of European Union- Convention of ‘Minority Charter’- Broadcasting Media- Cultural programs

Recognition Disappearance

Globalization: :Language, power and identity

Most Widely Spoken Languages in the World• Language Approx. Number of Speakers

• Chinese (Mandarin) 1,075,000,000

• English 514,000,000

• Hindustani 1,496,000,000

• Spanish 425,000,000

• Russian 275,000,000

• Arabic 256,000,000

• Bengali 215,000,000

• Portuguese 194,000,000

• Malay-Indonesian 176,000,000

• French 129,000,000

Source: Global Language Monitor (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0775272.html)

Top Eight Languages Used on the WebLanguage Internet Users (by language) Percentage of all Internet Users

English 312,924,679 30.0

Chinese 144,301,513 13.8

Japanese 86,300,000 8.3

Spanish 78,166,075 7.5

German 58,214,778 5.6

French 45,807,499 4.4

Korean 33,900,000 3.2

Portuguese 32,372,000 3.1

Source: Global Language Monitor (http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm)

• Globalisation has traditionally been interpreted as a processwhich offers endless opportunities to speakers of globallanguages at the expense of those who speak regional andminority languages

• Speakers of global languages = power in intellectual areas

Language identity: Roland Robertson (1994) is credited with coiningthe term ‘glocalisation’ to indicate the increasing significance of thelocal in the global context and the counter-trends that can occur inthe globalisation process.

Local language promotion: accepting the global language

2.3 Power and society

• Power is quite an abstract concept, but has an infinitely importantinfluence on our lives. Moore and Hendry (1982) describe it as “…theforce in society that gets things done, and by studying it, we canidentify who controls what, and for whose benefit.”

• We see power at work in society exercised through politics. By meansof our vote, in democracy, we give politicians the right to make lawson our behalf

• This power is enforced through individuals such as police officers,judges and prison officers, whose jobs give them the right to affectother people’s lives. Other people who have power as a consequenceof their roles include teachers, parents and employers. We canclassify this kind of power as ‘personal power’.

• Finally, some social groups have more or less power than others. The poor, the disabled, ethnic minorities and women are all groups which may find themselves having lower social status, fewer economic resources, and being discriminated against.

• Typically, the people with most ‘social group power’ are white, wealthy and male. This is not to say that all white middle class men are more powerful than all people from other social groups, but white people, wealthy people, and men are disproportionately represented in positions of power

• Power is often demonstrated through language; it is actuallyachieved or ‘done’ through language. For example, politicalpower exists by means of language- through speeches, debates,through the rules of those who may speak and how debates areto be conducted.

• Laws are written and discussed in language, and individuals giveorders through language.

• Parents and young children

• Teacher and students

• Boss and employee

• Judge : giving the verdict

• Referee : You are out!

Power Dynamics

• Moreover, we learn about the world, about how to behave and whatto value, through language.

• Language often serves the interests of dominant social groups,usually because these are the groups who have the most control overit: politicians and lawyers, owners of international mediaconglomerates, and other influential, high-profile figures.

• Consequently, the oppression of those with less power, and lessaccess to the media and the production of written records, can seem‘natural’, ‘normal’ or even invisible.

• George Orwell claimed that ‘in our age there is no keeping out ofpolitics. All issues are political issues’ (1946:154). Politics isconcerned with power: the power to make decisions, to controlresources, to control other people’s behaviour and often to controltheir values. Even the most everyday decisions can be seen in apolitical light.

2.4 Language and politics

• Politics is inevitably connected to power. The acquisition of power, and the enforcement of your own political beliefs can be achieved in a number of ways; one of the obvious methods is through physical coercion.

• Political discourse relies very heavily on the principle, that people’sperceptions of certain issues or concepts can be influenced bylanguage. One of the goals of a politician must be to persuade theiraudience of the validity of the politician’s basic claims. The use ofimplicature is one of the means by which this can be achieved

• Use of language to influence people’s view of the world: • the power of language,

• the power of speech,

• the power of tone and persuasion

Contd…

• Power is often demonstrated through language in society.• Political power exists by means of language, through speeches, debates,

through rules of who may speak and how debates are to be conducted.

• Parents often talk to small children in a way which makes quite clear the power relationship between parent and child may be because parents have more physical, legal and economic power.

Contd…

• Language often serves the interests of dominant social groups.• For the indigenous people of America, arrival of Christopher Columbus was

not the ‘discovery’ of their country but the beginning of a long-lasting, far-reaching process of loss of independence although it was/is argued that Columbus discovered America (Thomas and Wareing, 2000).

• Thus, language reflect the truth of the dominant group, and largely hid the truth of the less dominant group.

• Every aspect of social life is influenced by power.

• In English, long words tend to sound more formal and dignified than short words,although there may be very little difference in meaning between a long and ashort word. Consider:

• help assistance

• end conclusion

• work with collaborate with

• break adjournment

• last preceding

• It is very common for a person who wishes to assert their authorityand superiority to use longer words to impress, to threaten orperhaps to mystify and confuse their audience.

Thank You

2.5. Language and the media 1

•The media, which is usually understood to referto the press, radio and television broadcasting,have become one of the most pervasivephenomenon in our culture.

Language and the media

Language and the media

Language and the media 2

•We can also add the World Wide Web to the list ofcommunications media: emerging strong media withimpact on people

Language and the media 3

• The mass media have become one of the principalmeans through which we gain access to a large part ofour information about the world, as well as to muchof our entertainment

• they are a powerful site for the production andcirculation of social meanings, i.e. to a great extent,the media decide the significance of things thathappen in the world for any given culture, society orsocial group.

Language and the media 4

• We use the media for many different purposes;

• for information,

• for entertainment, and

• for education,

• through a range of programmes for schools as well asuniversity broadcasts. We listen to the news on radioand television for information about local, national andinternational events; many people spend hours everyweek being entertained by a variety of programmesfrom regular soap operas to weekly quizzes and chatshows.

Language and the media 5

• Sometimes, the boundaries become blurred between informationand entertainment, and a new term has been coined to refer toprogrammes which serve both functions: ‘infotainment’. Wildlifeprogrammes, docu-dramas and the growing number of talk showscould all be described as having a dual role: to entertain as well as toinform.

Language and the media 6

• we should not be too quick to see the media as all-powerful, and thepublic as mere puppets of media control.

• The relationship is not a straightforward one. The reading, listeningand viewing public can also choose not to buy, listen or watch; theycan switch off

Language and the media 7

• If the media are powerful as a site for producing and maintainingdominant discourses, they can also be a possible site for change.

Language and the media 8

• One of the most publicly discussed changes in recent years has beenthe move to use non-sexist language, and to encourage symmetry inthe representation of men and women. Sometimes the press can beseen to be trying to adopt grammatical forms which are neutral, suchas the third person pronoun ‘they’ or ‘them’ as a non-specifiedgender pronoun.

Language and the media 9• we have discussed the power of the media to determine what counts

as news, and also how it gets represented. We have outlined the conflicting

views of the media, on the one hand as organs of democracy, providing essential

public information, and on the other, as powerful monopolies which relentlessly

pursue their own interests. With the increase of public access to broadcasting

space, and particularly with the arrival of the World Wide Web, and its potential

for unregulated mass communication, these questions remain central to the

debates about the function and power of the mass media. Are they providing an

emerging forum for public debate, or are they still closely-monitored institutions

with hierarchies of discourse and systems of ‘gatekeeping’ which continue to

control who gets to say what, and how? An analysis of the language and

discourse used in mediated contexts provides a valuable way of finding evidence

to support or counter these claims.