Language and power theorists

Question 1

Drew and heritage

Answer 1

Drew and Heritage focus on how language functions within the workplace, specifically in professional settings, as a tool for communication and to establish power dynamics or to show reciprocity and synchrony amongst the workforce.

Question 2

Fairclough

Answer 2

Language is a tool for social control and can both reflect and reproduce power dynamics in society.
Plays a central role in shaping and maintaining power relationships. Language acts as a tool to maintain and create power within society, where power dynamics are evident both “in discourse”

Question 3

Sinclair and Coulthard

Answer 3

They focus on the interactional analysis of classroom discourse, specifically the ways in which power is exercised through language in educational settings. Their work, particularly the IRF (Initiation-Response-Feedback) model, highlights how power dynamics are structured through speech patterns and institutional roles.

Question 4

French and Raven

Answer 4

Legitimate: Gained from your rank in a formal hierarchy.

2. Reward: Gained from your ability to distribute rewards.
3. Coercive: Gained from your ability to distribute punishments.
4. Expert: Gained from your ability to demonstrate expertise.
5. Referent: Gained from your ability to get respect and admiration.

Question 5

Michel Foucault

Answer 5

Foucault’s ideas suggest that language in the workplace is a powerful tool for maintaining control, shaping relationships, and managing the flow of power in subtle, often unnoticed ways.

Power is not just held by individuals or institutions
but is embedded in everyday practices and systems of knowledge, including language.

Question 6

Holmes and Stubbe

Answer 6

Holmes and Stubbe (2003) explore the relationship between power and
humour in workplace communication.

Power and Humour Interaction: They argue that humour plays a
significant role in the negotiation and display of power within interpersonal and organizational relationships.

Power as a Social Construct: Power is not just hierarchical but is also dynamic and negotiated in everyday interactions. Humour can either
challenge or reinforce power dynamics.