However, this terminology/theory is useful for analysing a text considering gender, occupation and social class. It is also potentially useful for paper 1.
What is power?
We agree that it is authority over someone, depending on context. Power is also a dynamic factor.
It can derive from education, beliefs, politics, social class, faith, popularity, aesthetic and personality.
Power can also be written. We can find some form of control even online.
Why is an individual allowed power in that context?
The physical environment is really important and useful here.
A teacher, for instance, have the power over his students due to the school setting. Outside the school his role doesn't include any form of control over the student.
Basic terms:
- Power in discourse - the ways in which power is manifested through language.
- Power behind discourse - the contextual reasons for the power happening (mainly in discourse). E.g. a teacher has the power on the class because he has more knowledge, the physical environment as said, he is an authority, he is older, he has control due to his profession, his linguistic register, the tone of his voice, he usually asks questions, he uses the subject specific lexis, he uses re-casting.
- Instrumental power - power used to mantain and enforce authority (media, police-army, teachers, queen, parents).
- Influential power - power used to persuade or influence others (media, politicians, church-religion in general, teachers, queen, brands and companies, parents, doctors).
According to Wareing (1999), there are three different types of power:
- Political power - power held by politicians, law and police.
- Social grup power - power held by people as result of social variables such as social class, age, ethnicity.
- Personal power - power held by people as a result of their profession (e.g. teachers).
- Oppressive discourse strategy (shouting, swearing...)
- Repressive discourse strategy, a subtle way of asserting power (questions, specific lexis...)
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