Language, Society and Power

Transcription

1 Language, Society and Power An introduction Edited by Linda Thomas and Shan Wareing LONDON AND NEW YORK

2 Contents List of illustrations Newspapers Notes on contributors Preface Acknowledgements xii xiii xiv xv xix 1 What is language and what does it do? 1 Shan Wareing 1.1 Introduction Why study language? What is language? Language: a system Language: the potential to create new meanings Language: multiple functions Language diversity Power and society Summary 14 2 Language,thought and representation \i Ishtla Singh 2.1 Introduction Saussure's theories of the Sign Langue and parole The linguistic sign The arbitrary division of reality The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis One language: many worlds Summary 30 VII

3 3 Language and politics 31 Jason Jones and Shan Wareing 3.1 Introduction What is meant by politics? Politics and ideology Implicature Language as thought control: Newspeak and political correctness The language of deception The language of persuasion (rhetoric) Figures of speech The three-part statement The rhetorical use of pronouns Summary 46 4 Language and the media 49 Joanna Thornborrow 4.1 Introduction The function of the media Media, language and power Commonsense discourses The power to change? Media voices: accent and register Variation in register Public participation in the media Summary 63 5 Language and gender 65 Shan Wareing 5.1 Introduction How is English sexist? Symmetry and asymmetry Unmarked and marked terms Semantic derogation Sexism in discourse Insults and obscenities Sexism against men? Do men and women talk differently? How much talk? Turn construction and interruption Back channel support Mitigated and aggravated forms Topic development 78 VIM

4 5.4 Possible explanations Dominance Difference Analysis of gender Summary 81 6 Language and ethnicity 83 Ishtla Singh 6.1 Introduction Defining ethnicity The language of prejudice Markedness and 'us' and 'them' Negative labelling Language use as a marker of ethnic identity Ebonics Languages other than English Summary 96 7 Language and age 99 Jean Stilwell Peccei 7.1 Introduction: what has age got to do with language? How can a language reflect the status of children and older people? Age as an important cultural category Labelling age groups Talking about age groups: underlying evaluations of early childhood and old age Talking to young children and the elderly Language characteristics of the under-5s and over-65s Child Directed Language Similarities between Child Directed Language and 'Elder Directed' Language Why might these similarities occur? Ill 7.4 Conclusion Summary Language and class in Jason Jones 8.1 Introduction Linguistic variation and social class Accent and dialect: regional and social variation Accent and dialect: a clue to social information 120 IX

5 8.3 Does social class really affect language? The problem of defining social class Research into the relationship between language and social class William Labov: the social stratification of V in New York City department stores Peter Trudgill: the social differentiation of English in Norwich Summary Language and identity 135 Joanna Thornborrow 9.1 Introduction What do we mean by linguistic identity? Language and the construction of personal identities Names and naming practices Systems of address Language and the construction of group identities Identity and representation Ingroups and outgroups Linguistic variation and the construction of identity Stylistic variation and language choice Power and linguistic imperialism Summary The standard English debate 151 Linda Thomas 10.1 Introduction What is standard English? Beginning a definition Standard English, history and society The linguistic definition of standard English Linguistic variation Logic and correctness So what is standard English? Standard English and education Standard English in the school Standard English and social equality Summary 170

6 11 Attitudes to language 173 Linda Thomas 11.1 Introduction The evidence Whole languages Varieties of a language Words and interaction Pronunciation and accent The effects Summary 187 Glossary 189 References 199 Index 205 XI