Power and Language

SOCIAL GROUPS AND TYPES OF POWER (WAREING):

• POLITICAL POWER:

  • The government, police, those working in law courts, etc.

• PERSONAL POWER:

  • Those who hold power as a result of their occupation.

• SOCIAL POWER:

  • Those who hold power as a result of social factors. For example, as a result of their age, intelligence, wealth, class, gender, etc.

INSTRUMENTAL AND INFLUENTIAL POWER (FAIRCLOUGH):

• INSTRUMENTAL POWER:

  • The type of power that someone in a certain occupation, position or institution may have to maintain or enforce authority – e.g a judge, a policeman.

    • People with political and personal power have instrumental power.

  • Your behaviour is affected because you must follow their instructions.

• INFLUENTIAL POWER:

  • Power that comes as a result of social influence over us (rather than enforced instructions). Usually linked to social qualities you respect or admire.

    • People with social power have influential power.

  • Your behaviour is affected because you are influenced to act a certain way by someone else.

POWER ASYMMETRY:

• Where one speaker or institution is clearly in a position of power over the other.

• This can lead to unequal encounters (Fairclough).

OPPRESSIVE AND REPRESSIVE DISCOURSE STRATEGIES (PATEMAN):

• OPPRESSIVE DISCOURSE STRATEGY:

  • When someone gets straight to the point, they can be said to be using an oppressive discourse strategy. They are overtly powerful.

    • E.g Tidy your room.

• REPRESSIVE DISCOURSE STRATEGY:

  • When someone avoids getting straight to the point when making a request. They minimise the overt status difference between themselves and the other person, and emphasise solidarity.

    • E.g I wonder what’s on TV? Could you bring the remote?

POWER AND LANGUAGE:

• Scenarios where there is power asymmetry produce interesting language use.

• We vary our language depending on the power dynamic. This may as a conversation or as a reader/writer relationship.

• Power is clearly linked to function and audience.

• Also links to politeness and face theory.

SYNTHETIC PERSONALISATION (FAIRCLOUGH):

• Where texts that are aimed at a broad, unknown audience appear to be personal to the reader, for example by the use of second person plural ‘you’, vocatives such as ‘friend’, phrases such as ‘welcome’, and presupposition.

  • VOCATIVES: the word or phrase used to address someone/get their attention.