Overview
Language, Society and Power explores the extent to which language reflects and creates our perception of the world, and who makes decisions about what is appropriate language to use. Written in a lively and accessible way, each chapter provides a core introductionto a particular social or political issue in language study, such as ethnicity, gender, class, age, identity, the Standard English debate, politics, and the media. The book contains numerous exercises, end-of-chapter summaries and a glossary of key terms. Language, Society and
Power encourages the reader to look beyond the role of language as information exchange and to consider the wider issues of the relationship between language and culture. In this sense the book is highly interdisciplinary and will be essential for students of English language and
linguistics, and of great relevance to students of media, communication, and cultural studies, sociology and psychology.
Synopsis
This is a completely updated and expanded second edition of Language, Society and Power. Lively and accessible, it looks at the ways in which language functions, how it influences thought and how it varies according to age, ethnicity, class and gender. How can a language reflect the status of children and older people? Do men and women talk differently? How can our use of language mark our ethnic identity? The book also looks at language use in politics and the media and examines how language affects and constructs our identities, exploring notions of correctness and attitudes towards language use.