Language in Power

Social Groups and Power

Refers to the different types of power within political, personal, and social contexts.

Types of Power

Includes instrumental power (enforced authority) and influential power (persuasive influence).

Power behind discourse

Focuses on the context (Who, What, Where, When, Why) influencing power dynamics in communication.

Ideology

Represents the attitudes and world views displayed in language, shaping perceptions (e.g., terrorist vs. freedom fighter).

Modal Verb

Auxiliary verbs like should, can, will, etc., indicating epistemic (possibilities) and deontic (certainty) modality.

Power in Advertising

Examines how adverts persuade through unattainable realities, personalization, and celebrity endorsements.

Power in Spoken Discourse

Involves power asymmetry between participants, affecting turn-taking and politeness in conversations.

Politeness

An element of power related to maintaining positive and negative face in interactions.

Doing Power

Describes how power is actively exercised, especially in hierarchical settings like workplaces.

Fairclough (2001)