Language & PowerLanguage & Power

Practical powerPractical power

Power through physical actions, violence, Power through physical actions, violence, skill, money, goods or servicesskill, money, goods or services

Types of Social PowerTypes of Social Power

Teachers over children

Customers over shop assistants

Newspapers over readers

Actors over audiencesParents over children

Bullies over victimsDoctors over police officers

Head teachers over teachers

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power

Positional powerPositional power

Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the by the lawlaw..

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power

Using knowledge and ideas to influence Using knowledge and ideas to influence peoplepeople

Personal powerPersonal power

Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

Influential PowerInfluential Power

Identifying PowerIdentifying Power

On the following slides are some On the following slides are some examples of different types of power examples of different types of power taken from some students’ written work taken from some students’ written work

How do these examples fit into the four How do these examples fit into the four categories?categories?

What role does language have to play What role does language have to play in the exercise of power in these in the exercise of power in these examples?examples?

It’s possible to talk a bully out of It’s possible to talk a bully out of thumping you.thumping you.

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power Influential PowerInfluential PowerPractical powerPractical power Power through physical actions, violence, skill, Power through physical actions, violence, skill,

money, goods or servicesmoney, goods or services

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power Using knowledge and ideas to influence peopleUsing knowledge and ideas to influence people

Positional powerPositional power Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a

hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the the lawlaw..

Personal powerPersonal power Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through

personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

When my younger sister was at When my younger sister was at primary school she wanted to be primary school she wanted to be friends with a group of girls but they friends with a group of girls but they wanted to shut her out of the group. wanted to shut her out of the group. In order to do this they made up a In order to do this they made up a code language which only the code language which only the members of the group knew.members of the group knew.

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power Influential PowerInfluential PowerPractical powerPractical power Power through physical actions, violence, skill, Power through physical actions, violence, skill,

money, goods or servicesmoney, goods or services

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power Using knowledge and ideas to influence peopleUsing knowledge and ideas to influence people

Positional powerPositional power Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a

hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the the lawlaw..

Personal powerPersonal power Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through

personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

A computer analyst would be using A computer analyst would be using words … which would exclude an words … which would exclude an outsider whose job does not come outsider whose job does not come in contact with this type of work in contact with this type of work since he would not understand the since he would not understand the work and language being used.work and language being used.

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power Influential PowerInfluential PowerPractical powerPractical power Power through physical actions, violence, skill, Power through physical actions, violence, skill,

money, goods or servicesmoney, goods or services

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power Using knowledge and ideas to influence peopleUsing knowledge and ideas to influence people

Positional powerPositional power Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a

hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the the lawlaw..

Personal powerPersonal power Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through

personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

If you know nothing about car If you know nothing about car maintenance, a young, black, maintenance, a young, black, working‑class car mechanic will working‑class car mechanic will have more power in this context have more power in this context due to his/her knowledge of his/her due to his/her knowledge of his/her job and the technical terms related job and the technical terms related with the job.with the job.

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power Influential PowerInfluential PowerPractical powerPractical power Power through physical actions, violence, skill, Power through physical actions, violence, skill,

money, goods or servicesmoney, goods or services

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power Using knowledge and ideas to influence peopleUsing knowledge and ideas to influence people

Positional powerPositional power Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a

hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the the lawlaw..

Personal powerPersonal power Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through

personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

When children are learning the When children are learning the language, teachers can introduce language, teachers can introduce them to certain words and omit them to certain words and omit others.others.

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power Influential PowerInfluential PowerPractical powerPractical power Power through physical actions, violence, skill, Power through physical actions, violence, skill,

money, goods or servicesmoney, goods or services

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power Using knowledge and ideas to influence peopleUsing knowledge and ideas to influence people

Positional powerPositional power Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a

hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the the lawlaw..

Personal powerPersonal power Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through

personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

Publishers ... have the power not to Publishers ... have the power not to publish certain books which they publish certain books which they might not like. Because of this we might not like. Because of this we don’t receive the books in our don’t receive the books in our shops.shops.

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power Influential PowerInfluential PowerPractical powerPractical power Power through physical actions, violence, skill, Power through physical actions, violence, skill,

money, goods or servicesmoney, goods or services

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power Using knowledge and ideas to influence peopleUsing knowledge and ideas to influence people

Positional powerPositional power Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a

hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the the lawlaw..

Personal powerPersonal power Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through

personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

Received Pronunciation which is Received Pronunciation which is thought by the prescriptivists to be thought by the prescriptivists to be correct English originated from the correct English originated from the public schools and is used and public schools and is used and spoken by people with authority spoken by people with authority such as the Queen and the Royal such as the Queen and the Royal Family.Family.

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power Influential PowerInfluential PowerPractical powerPractical power Power through physical actions, violence, skill, Power through physical actions, violence, skill,

money, goods or servicesmoney, goods or services

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power Using knowledge and ideas to influence peopleUsing knowledge and ideas to influence people

Positional powerPositional power Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a

hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the the lawlaw..

Personal powerPersonal power Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through

personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

If something is described as “ethnic If something is described as “ethnic cleansing” it seems less evil than if cleansing” it seems less evil than if the same actions were described as the same actions were described as “mass murder”.“mass murder”.

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power Influential PowerInfluential PowerPractical powerPractical power Power through physical actions, violence, skill, Power through physical actions, violence, skill,

money, goods or servicesmoney, goods or services

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power Using knowledge and ideas to influence peopleUsing knowledge and ideas to influence people

Positional powerPositional power Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a

hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the the lawlaw..

Personal powerPersonal power Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through

personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

When my mother bought pegs from When my mother bought pegs from a gypsy ... I asked why she had a gypsy ... I asked why she had bought them. She replied that she bought them. She replied that she didn’t want a curse put on her and didn’t want a curse put on her and that gypsies can be very powerful if that gypsies can be very powerful if they want to be!they want to be!

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power Influential PowerInfluential PowerPractical powerPractical power Power through physical actions, violence, skill, Power through physical actions, violence, skill,

money, goods or servicesmoney, goods or services

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power Using knowledge and ideas to influence peopleUsing knowledge and ideas to influence people

Positional powerPositional power Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a

hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the the lawlaw..

Personal powerPersonal power Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through

personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

If a policeman approaches a middle If a policeman approaches a middle class man who has been caught class man who has been caught speeding he may be more inclined speeding he may be more inclined to dismiss his behaviour if he to dismiss his behaviour if he manipulates his speech in order to manipulates his speech in order to get out of the situation.get out of the situation.

Instrumental PowerInstrumental Power Influential PowerInfluential PowerPractical powerPractical power Power through physical actions, violence, skill, Power through physical actions, violence, skill,

money, goods or servicesmoney, goods or services

Pedagogical powerPedagogical power Using knowledge and ideas to influence peopleUsing knowledge and ideas to influence people

Positional powerPositional power Power gained from your position in a Power gained from your position in a

hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by hierarchy; this may be– backed ultimately by the the lawlaw..

Personal powerPersonal power Using power to influence people through Using power to influence people through

personality, nurturing or caringpersonality, nurturing or caring

Which of the examples did you find Which of the examples did you find easier to categorise?easier to categorise?

Which examples were more difficult?Which examples were more difficult? Were some of the examples difficult to Were some of the examples difficult to

connect to the idea of power?connect to the idea of power? Can you think of examples from your Can you think of examples from your

own experience of how language can be own experience of how language can be used to exert power over other people?used to exert power over other people?

DiscussionDiscussion