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Language, Society and Power: An Introduction
"Language, Society and Power is an introductory text to studying language in a variety of social contexts. It examines the ways in which language functions, how it influences thought and how it varies according to age, ethnicity, class and gender. This fourth edition has been completely revised to include recent developments in theory and research, and offers new chapters on Linguistic Landscapes and Global Englishes, updated and expanded further reading and student project sections, and a brand new companion website"--
264 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 19, 2023
Painfully enriching!
Important yet tedious.
As you may infer.
Language, Society, & Power (LS&P) is an eye opening (however LABORIOUS at times) read.
To be fair.
It’s a textbook (both literally and figuratively).
And you could feel that TEXTBOOK feeling.
Not all the time.
But enough of the time.
Given that
The LIBERATING/ENLIGHTENING (L/E) quotient is HIGH and well worth the occasional low-grade silent scream (🤫 😱).
Anyway.
LS&P is all about how language functions as both a medium of communication and an instrument of power that shapes and is shaped social structures that are invisible/inscrutable unless you have the WILL TO DECONSTRUCT.
And I do.
And I hope you do too 😜.
LS&P is a introduction to descriptive sociolinguistics, which (broadly speaking) aims to clarify the role of language in shaping societal norms, identities, and power.
POWER!
I don’t LIKE IT 😐
Unlike prescriptive approaches (like in stupid stupid English class yuck🤮 ) which intend to dictate how language 'should' be used, descriptive sociolinguistics aims to understand how language is ACTUALLY used, and by WHO and for WHAT.
Descriptive sociolinguistics identifies and analyzes the characteristics of different speech communities, and examines how attitudes towards different languages or dialects can affect status and opportunity.
This can involve studying how language varies based on factors like class, race, gender, ethnicity, age and even sexual orientation.
Like for instance, do you say DUDE or FABULOUS more?
Anyway.
Descriptive sociolinguistics also studies how social context influences communication styles, including CODE SWITCHING between ways of talking in different social settings. Like for instance, do you say DUDE or FABULOUS more when you’re at the HARDWARE STORE?
I (for some fucking reason) automatically adopt a vaguely southern accent when I go to the hardware store.
What is that?
Fragile masculinity?
Cultural appropriation of hicks?
I don’t understand!
Anyway.
As this example (sort of) illustrates.
Language is closely tied to cultural and individual identity.
As such, prescriptive control over language can like, function to marginalize other people and dominant cultures and shit.
People use language to maintain and flex their dominance and power ALL THE TIME. As with legal, political, and educational systems that privilege and prestige technical language.
Proficiency in a dominant or official language often determines access to education, employment, and other resources. This can perpetuate social inequities, and disadvantage those who speak non dominant languages.
On the flip.
Language can be a tool for resistance and social change.
For instance, the recent evolution of gender terms and pronouns to both reflects and elicits social change.
By and large (no not bi and large, that’s something different).
LS&P is a TOTALLY worth while read.
I’m a therapist, and I see (experience/enact) linguistic power dynamics ALL DAY LONG. It’s particularly apparent within couples and families. LS&P should probably be mandatory reading in therapy school.
That being said.
It’s never too late.
The WILL TO DECONSTRUCT never sleeps
Whatever that means🤔
And LS&P is yours for the taking.
For a minor fee of like 24.00 and a few TEDIOUS moments.
5/5 stars 🌟
Important yet tedious.
As you may infer.
Language, Society, & Power (LS&P) is an eye opening (however LABORIOUS at times) read.
To be fair.
It’s a textbook (both literally and figuratively).
And you could feel that TEXTBOOK feeling.
Not all the time.
But enough of the time.
Given that
The LIBERATING/ENLIGHTENING (L/E) quotient is HIGH and well worth the occasional low-grade silent scream (🤫 😱).
Anyway.
LS&P is all about how language functions as both a medium of communication and an instrument of power that shapes and is shaped social structures that are invisible/inscrutable unless you have the WILL TO DECONSTRUCT.
And I do.
And I hope you do too 😜.
LS&P is a introduction to descriptive sociolinguistics, which (broadly speaking) aims to clarify the role of language in shaping societal norms, identities, and power.
POWER!
I don’t LIKE IT 😐
Unlike prescriptive approaches (like in stupid stupid English class yuck🤮 ) which intend to dictate how language 'should' be used, descriptive sociolinguistics aims to understand how language is ACTUALLY used, and by WHO and for WHAT.
Descriptive sociolinguistics identifies and analyzes the characteristics of different speech communities, and examines how attitudes towards different languages or dialects can affect status and opportunity.
This can involve studying how language varies based on factors like class, race, gender, ethnicity, age and even sexual orientation.
Like for instance, do you say DUDE or FABULOUS more?
Anyway.
Descriptive sociolinguistics also studies how social context influences communication styles, including CODE SWITCHING between ways of talking in different social settings. Like for instance, do you say DUDE or FABULOUS more when you’re at the HARDWARE STORE?
I (for some fucking reason) automatically adopt a vaguely southern accent when I go to the hardware store.
What is that?
Fragile masculinity?
Cultural appropriation of hicks?
I don’t understand!
Anyway.
As this example (sort of) illustrates.
Language is closely tied to cultural and individual identity.
As such, prescriptive control over language can like, function to marginalize other people and dominant cultures and shit.
People use language to maintain and flex their dominance and power ALL THE TIME. As with legal, political, and educational systems that privilege and prestige technical language.
Proficiency in a dominant or official language often determines access to education, employment, and other resources. This can perpetuate social inequities, and disadvantage those who speak non dominant languages.
On the flip.
Language can be a tool for resistance and social change.
For instance, the recent evolution of gender terms and pronouns to both reflects and elicits social change.
By and large (no not bi and large, that’s something different).
LS&P is a TOTALLY worth while read.
I’m a therapist, and I see (experience/enact) linguistic power dynamics ALL DAY LONG. It’s particularly apparent within couples and families. LS&P should probably be mandatory reading in therapy school.
That being said.
It’s never too late.
The WILL TO DECONSTRUCT never sleeps
Whatever that means🤔
And LS&P is yours for the taking.
For a minor fee of like 24.00 and a few TEDIOUS moments.
5/5 stars 🌟
January 30, 2025
Really interesting! Covered lots of topics from around the world. Some parts were a bit dated (use of SMS chatrooms) but still a really interesting insight into language use at the time. Good read
August 2, 2017
This book covers a wide variety of ways in which language use can be related to power in society. Some issues covered are gender, race, class, and region. Of particular interest is the discussion on standard English and how non-standard versions of English are stigmatized.
July 8, 2020
This was quite informative and refreshing. I especially appreciated the further reading materials cited as the book doesn't delve deeper into each topic. It covers topics from the definition of language to its relation to ideology, politics, its use in the media, how it's used to vis-à-vis gender, age, social class...etc
December 6, 2012
Good if you are studying discourse or the use of language. Gives a great introduction into the subject
October 14, 2013
Enjoyed reading this though it wasn't as in depth in some elements as I might have liked. Either way it's been good for further reading and I am researching further into Language and Identity.
June 6, 2025
this book is tedious and hard to follow linearly, especially if you are stressed out because of an exam. i find it gives you half-arsed answers to the questions it proposes. i didn't need the introduction to chomsky, jakobson or Ferdinand de saussure, given that my study course has a subject that covers specifically that one area of linguistics, however it felt so rushed. the introduction to different types of Englishes arrives so late, especially after a chapter about ethnicity which at the end summarily covers the same theme instead of analyzing the premises of language in interactions with other ethnicities, barely covering racism and racial insensitivity; chapter that comes after a SPECTACULAR chapter on the position of women in society and why a woman's speak is considered less, unworthy, wrong. the parts of exercise are textbook like- which you would think i enjoy since it's a uni textbook- and yet i feel like i must skip them or I'll end up wrapped up in another discourse taking place, messing even more with my unmedicated adhd ass. this issue, though, is one i met many times even outside of the activities, with all the name dropping and extracts of texts that make it feel like you're studying philosophy, interrupting abruptly the chapters on and on and making me, a native English speaker, so confused and pitiful for my non English native colleagues studying the same subject. it codeswitches continuously, addressing the reader in a 4th wall break and immediately going back to formality. this book needs chapter reorganization, maybe some rewriting of parts and please, put the activities at the end of the chapter, make them finalized for a review rather than interrupting the flow of the read. now i might seem resentful to this book specifically, which I'm not, I'm just so stressed out at the moment, but the more i read, the more hair falls out of my head.
December 16, 2022
Before reading this academic book, I could only give the poshness of British English speakers and the false belief in the superiority of their accent to understand and demonstrate linguistic prejudice at its finest.
As the chapters progressed, the authors conclude that this attitude not only is unfair, it is also unrealistic and driven by hegemonic powers that try more or less to exert influence on people's perception of a "correct" and thus a "better" English.
As the chapters progressed, the authors conclude that this attitude not only is unfair, it is also unrealistic and driven by hegemonic powers that try more or less to exert influence on people's perception of a "correct" and thus a "better" English.
April 16, 2021
Used this book in a language and society class I taught. The first few chapters were decent, but the chapters on gender and ethnicity were terrible, and I wasn't overly impressed with other later chapters either. Just wasn't what I'd hoped it would be for my class.
August 22, 2023
Language use is simple and the explanation is somewhat straightforward. I read this book when I was studying English linguistics and found it helpful, especially if you have an interest in sociolinguistics.
December 8, 2018
This book is so interesting for anyone who is interested in language. I had to read it for a class but I really enjoyed it.
July 31, 2020
Quite informative!
December 10, 2020
Provides context and overview of the essential relationships between language use and power in society.
Read
December 30, 2021Read for teaching methods 326
Read
December 6, 2024textbook for class
December 1, 2016
A useful refresher.
January 8, 2024
Above any other book, this book changed my life. It changed the way that I speak, the way I listen, and the way I think about both. It is a textbook, but it's one of those "each chapter is an individual article/essay" type ones as opposed to the textbooks one usually sees in elementary school and high school.
I was going back on my "previously read" list on GoodReads, looking for idea for new topics to read about, and this book was first and foremost in my mind as I considered what my list contained.
I liked it so much that I left my original copy on an airplane and immediately bought another copy, because I knew I'd come back to it. And I have, many times. I've referenced it when talking to others, and I do believe everyone should read it.
I was going back on my "previously read" list on GoodReads, looking for idea for new topics to read about, and this book was first and foremost in my mind as I considered what my list contained.
I liked it so much that I left my original copy on an airplane and immediately bought another copy, because I knew I'd come back to it. And I have, many times. I've referenced it when talking to others, and I do believe everyone should read it.
January 19, 2016
Some chapters were better than others, but overall the authors did a good job of keeping their topics interesting and informational. My favorite chapters were the ones on Media and Standardization, but all of the chapters had interesting parts. Although I read it for class, I never felt obligated to read it. The authors did a good job of making it flow together as one book, and used language that was easy to understand even if you don't have a background in linguistics.
July 17, 2008
Ok, well, it's not the worst text book I;ve read....that being said, it's a long way from the best.
It has some good information about how people use language to manipulate their intentions, and excellent excepts to illustreate their points, and it's the fairly easy to read and understand, but....I don't know, something's missing.
It has some good information about how people use language to manipulate their intentions, and excellent excepts to illustreate their points, and it's the fairly easy to read and understand, but....I don't know, something's missing.
January 29, 2013
A very good introduction to the power of language. A great read for anyone interested in sociolinguistics, or English Language. Essential for University study. Thought provoking but not essential to A-Level.
December 30, 2015
Good, informative, new (!) book with a lot of relevant examples. Interesting opinions and insights. Wide variety of topics: relationship between language and gender representation; language and social class, identity, identity online; language in politics, media, etc.
September 21, 2016
really introductory. lots of further readings required.
April 6, 2018
Reader-friendly, supplemented with illustrative notes and helpful definitions, this is one excellent book (guide) for students of linguistics/language.
September 7, 2009
It is amazing. It allows you to see how language is a part of many aspects of our lives.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews