Joseph John E. Language and Politics

Edinburgh University Press. 2006. — x, 170 p. — (Edinburgh Textbooks in Applied Linguistics). — ISBN: 0-10 7486 2452 X; ISBN: 0-10 7486 2453 8.In the last two decades, applied linguistics has abandoned the structuralist view of language as a self-contained, neutral system, in favour of a conception of language as political from top to bottom, in its structure as well as its use. This book examines the consequences of that conceptual shift, as it draws together key topics including language choice, linguistic correctness, (self-)censorship and hate speech, the performance of ethnic and national identity in language, gender politics and ‘powerful’ language, rhetoric and propaganda, and changing conceptions of written language, driven in part by technological advances.Overview: How politics permeates language (and vice versa)
What does it mean to say that language is political?
The politics of different ways of speaking
The politics of talking to others
The politics of what ‘the language’ is
The politics of which language to speak
The politics of policing the language
Language, thought and politicians
Language and choice
Conclusion: Language is political from top to bottom
Language and nation
Them and us
What is or isn’t ‘a language’
The role of writing
Constructing ‘the language’ by controlling variation
Language, knowledge and power
How new languages emerge: From ‘falling standards’ to ‘World Englishes’
Oppression and identity
The social politics of language choice and linguistic correctness
Hearers as speakers
The denial of heteroglossia
The role of education
Linguistic imperialism
Language rights
The linguistic performance of minority identities
Politics embedded in language
Struggle in the sign
Struggle in interaction
Deferential address
Gendered language
‘Powerless’ language
The politics of language change
Taboo language and its restriction
Swearing
The language police state
The politics of (self-)censorship
Hate speech
The right to hear no evil?
Rhetoric, propaganda and interpretation
Rhetoric versus truth?
Language, thought and reality
Propaganda anxiety
Newspeak
Linguistic creativity and manufacturing consent
Critical Discourse Analysis
The function of language in a democracy
Conclusion: Power, hegemony and choices
Agency
Broccoli theory