LANGUAGE & POWER RELATIONSHIP

Language is the means by which we communicate. Every culture has its own language which allows the
people within that culture to work cooperatively in order to accomplish mutual objectives. Without a
common language, cooperation is extremely limited or difficult. humans must rely on language as the
only means by which knowledge and survival skills are passed from one generation to the next.

Power:

the word power refers to the power of dominant institutions within our society, and how these
institutions maintain their dominance through the use of language: media (newspaper1s, television),
advertising, etc.

Power: the ability of a person or a group to influence the beliefs and actions of other
people. It is the ability to influence events. Power can be personal power. A person
gets his personal power from his personality or from his expert knowledge. Doctors,
Lawyers, Engineers, Programmers, etc. get their power from their expertise and
professional knowledge. Power can also be legitimate or official power. This power
comes from a higher authority.

Power can rest on many factors; for instance, on the possession of weapons or money.
These are in short supply; some possess them and others do not. This scarcity establishes
the power of man over man. And it shows the ubiquitous social connection of power and
inequality.

Relation:

The political or social dominance of one country or one group over another is often accompanied by
linguistic dominance, in which the more dominant party imposes its own language on the population at
large as the standard language to use.

Linguistic dominance:
Def. a "[l]anguage spoken by the dominant social group, or language that is seen as the main
language of a country"[9] is called a dominant language.
Def. the "[m]ost powerful social group of the country due to population (numerical majority),
economics (wealth) and/or politics (power)"[9] is called the dominant group
demonstration of powertraditionally, military power but also, in the modern world, economic
powerand aspects of the dominant culture are usually transferred along with the language.

Those people who have a language that is not given much prestige, they adopt the majority
language as their regular vehicle of communication, often mainly because they expect that
speaking the language gives better chances for upward mobility (the capacity or facility for rising
to a higher social or economic position) and economic (finance/money) success."
Most linguists now agree that the relationship between language and power is a mutual
relationship.

Powerful institutions and individuals use language as both a means to construct their
power and as a way to maintain it. Language thus becomes necessary for the
maintenance of power, and the power and effect of language in turn rely on the power of
individuals and institutions themselves.

Language is described as a social practice (Fowler 61), by which power relations are
established and sustained. This supports Faircloughs (1989) view that power is not only built and
sustained via coercive means (by force), but also via indirect ways (the use of language). Besides

institutional power, or the power exercised by entities that are overtly recognized for holding a position
of authority (the police, for example), there also exist other types of power relations: between

family members, between educated and uneducated people, and so forth. Individuals and
groups in this category of power relations use language as their main tool for maintaining
status and power.

Because it's important

The dominant role of English as a world language forces it upon our attention in a way that no
language has ever done before. As English becomes the chief means
of communication between nations, it is crucial to ensure that it is taught accurately and
efficiently, and to study changes in its structure and use.
Those who speak the same language not only can make themselves understood to each other; the capacity
of being able to make oneself understood also founds a feeling of belonging and belonging together. This
identity-forming power of language is not a secondary effect through which individuals can form themselves
into small or large social groups, or with whose help the social cohesion of societies or state and supra-state
unions can be fostered; it takes hold much earlier than these.

it is to control peoples mind, which is a means to change power relations between two countries. e.
Language advantages can be used to spread values, pursue national interests. America, Britain, and
other English-speaking countries strongly promote the expansion of English, making it become a global
language. In a sense, it is culture wars at the level of language, and language is used as a weapon to
violate other countries.
Language can definately be use as a weapon especially in arguement or negotation.

By having a good command of language, negotiator can ask for a good cut in deals, women can win in
the arguement and the list goes on and on ..people said words are sharper than the sharpest blade.
mass media are the best medium to explain how do people use language as a weapon. in the medias,
people can:
-write either good or bad abt something/ someone, and shaped the other people's minds to be see the
same as the writer's opinion
-report (esp.TV) either good or bad abt something/ someone, and shaped the other people's minds to be
see the same as the writer's opinion

and it's happen for the 'diplomacy war' too. ex: in UN. languages are always used as the weapon to get
something from another countries
ex: america said they will invade iran if they don't give up their nuclear business

not too far, it's useful enough in our daily lives

women are based on feelings. when u said something bad to her whenever u have dispute, they will cry.
it's mean that u have used the language as the weapon and it hurt her...... is all about trying to
persuade people to think the same way as you,
Firstly, the performance of English dominance in international communication is the number of people
using English. Currently, there are 380 million people around the world using English as a native
language and 250 million people using English as a second language. While, the number of people who
are learning English is an even bigger figure. According to the estimation of English cultural council, By
2050, half of the worlds population will be proficient in using English.

Although the number of people who are speaking Chinese as their mother tongue is above 1.3 billion
(including overseas Chinese), Chinese speaking population is limited to Chinese and foreign-country-
born Chinese. After all, the foreign population using Chinese as their native language or their second
language is much less. In these years, with the development of Chinas economy, there has been a
increasing enthusiasm for learning Chinese, but it still can not be compared with the English boom.

In fact, English dominance in international communication is not only reflected in the population using
English, but more reflected in the application range of English. After cold war, with the advent of
globalization and information technology, English is widely used in various fields around the world,
including politics, economy, trade, culture, diplomacy, tourism, communication, natural science and
academic research of humanities, etc. According to the statistics, currently around the world, there are
more than 60 countries using English as their official language, 85% of international organizations using
English as their common language, and 75% of the worlds mail are written in English, 80% of
publications and internet information is published in English.

English dominance in international communication is also very evident in our country, particularly in the
last 20 years. The emergence of a large number of English language media is one example. So far, the
English media which is based on news spreading includes an English TV channel, English daily and weekly
newspapers, magazines and English websites. As a country with a non-English official language, it is a
great achievement. But it also shows the importance of English language. In addition to the English
media, the vast number of people learning English is evident enough to explain the influence of English
dominance.

currently, the international status of English mainly springs from the status of America as a superpower
after World War 2.
On the other hand, the marketization and technological power of British and American media makes
English a dominant language in international communication.

Currently, the reason for American English taking place of British English is the status of America as the
sole superpower in the world. Therefore, although the language spreading around the world is known as
English, the content it carries is American culture.

For English-speaking countries or countries which are using English as their mother tongue, the influence
of English should be positive. Firstly, the dominance of English makes these countries more dominant in
politics, economy and culture, adversely, the dominance in these fields will strengthen the dominance in
English. Secondly, the dominance of English can produce ethnocentrism so that they can feel a sense of
honor as an English population. In the long term, this is the biggest benefit English dominance brings to
English-speaking countries, because it would make the whole country maintain a strong cohesion. Of
course, this sense of superiority and pride differs from country to country, and it may be most intense in
the superpower America.

improving the comprehensive quality and international level of our civil people and improve the
environment to communicate with other countries in the world.

Before the dominance of English takes shape, other languages have also been dominant for some time
in the history. But with the impact of the language-speaking countries,, the dominance of these
languages also disappeared.

Post-independence, many countries became officially multilingual for the first

time, but the various groups needed a language for communication with each
other and with other nations. Again, that was English. English is now the
dominant or official language in 75 territories: a direct legacy of the British
Empire.
Global Language:

There is no official definition of "global" or "world" language, but it essentially refers to a

language that is learned and spoken internationally, and is characterized not only by the
number of its native and second language speakers, but also by its geographical
distribution, and its use in international organizations and in diplomatic relations. A
global language acts as a lingua franca, a common language that enables people from
diverse backgrounds and ethnicities to communicate on a more or less equitable basis.

Historically, the essential factor for the establishment of a global language is that it is
spoken by those who wield power. Latin was the lingua franca of its time, although it
was only ever a minority language within the Roman Empire as a whole. Crucially,
though, it was the language of the powerful leaders and administrators and of the
Roman military - and, later, of the ecclesiastical power of the Roman Catholic Church -
and this is what drove its rise to (arguably) global language status. Thus, language can
be said to have no independent existence of its own, and a particular language only
dominates when its speakers dominate (and, by extension, fails when the people who
speak it fail).
The influence of any language is a combination of three main things: the number of
countries using it as their first language or mother-tongue, the number of countries
adopting it as their official language, and the number of countries teaching it as their
foreign language of choice in schools. The intrinsic structural qualities of a language,
the size of its vocabulary, the quality of its literature throughout history, and its
association with great cultures or religions, are all important factors in the popularity of
any language. But, at base, history shows us that a language becomes a global
language mainly due to the political power of its native speakers, and the economic
power with which it is able to maintain and expand its position.

As we have seen, a global language arises mainly due to the political and economic
power of its native speakers. It was British majestic and industrial power that sent
English around the globe between the 17th and 20th Century. The legacy of British
imperialism has left many counties with the language thoroughly institutionalized in their
courts, parliament, civil service, schools and higher education establishments. In other
counties, English provides a neutral means of communication between different ethnic
groups.

But it has been largely American economic and cultural supremacy - in music, film and
television; business and finance; computing, information technology and the Internet;
even drugs and pornography - that has consolidated the position of the English
language and continues to maintain it today. American dominance and influence
worldwide makes English crucially important for developing international markets,
especially in the areas of tourism and advertising, and mastery of English also provides
access to scientific, technological and academic resources which would otherwise be
denied developing countries.

Another reason for the spread of English is the cultural and economic dominance of the United States.
The British would like to imagine that they own the language, and they have given us Shakespeare, the
BBC and Monty Python, but the huge influence of Hollywood, television, MacDonalds and Coca-Cola,
for example, have helped not only to spread English, but have also made it popular to speak English. Add
to this music, music videos, programmes about all the musicians and actors etc. and you see that
children are flooded with examples of English. This early exposure to English means that so many
millions of people will be primed to use English as a foreign and second language, making it easier to
learn and develop into fluency.

Mostly, the rise of English to its position as the world's main international language was a result
of chance. Britain was the world's most active colonial nation in the 19th century, and British
explorers and colonists took their language with them wherever they went. English became the
official language of most of Britain's colonies. In the 20th century, America has been the world's
most powerful nation - and Americans have brought the English language to other countries of
the world.
The importance of American international corporations has made sure that English has
remained the international language of business; and Hollywood and the music industry have
made sure that it has become the principal language for the media and showbiz.
Colonialism is the establishment of a colony in one territory by a political power from another
territory, and the subsequent maintenance, expansion, and exploitation of that colony. defines
colonialism as "the policy and practice of a power in extending control over weaker peoples or
areas."[1] The Merriam-Webster Dictionary offers four definitions, including "something characteristic
of a colony" and "control by one power over a dependent area or people.