power & Solidarity.

1. Power and Solidarity
By : Zahra Aamir

2. Concept of Power and Solidarity
The dimensions of power and solidarity have been fundamental to
sociolinguistic theory since Brown and Gilman (1960) introduced the
concept in relation to the pronoun system. They introduced the
framework of power and solidarity by reference to the linguistic choices
that must be made in languages that have "polite" and "familiar" forms
of the second person pronoun.

3. Knowing these two concepts means focusing on certain
points or answer on certain questions like :
 To understand them means to understand the social
distinctions between people (speaker & addressee ).
 To know how much experience they have shared.

4. A) Power
The definitions of power from different views are presented as follows:
 Power is a relationship between at least two persons and it is nonreciprocal in the
sense that both cannot have power in the same area of behavior
(Brown and Gilman, 1960).
 Power is self-explanatory (Hudson,1980)
 Power is the degree to which one interlocutor is able to control the
behavior of the other (Polly Sterling, 2000)

5. There are many bases of power- physical strength, wealth, age,
sex, institutionalized role in the church, the state, the army, or
within the family. The relation is called older than, parent of,
richer than, stronger than, and noble.

6. Solidarity
The relation is based on the similarity or even sameness of
significant characteristics in two (or more) persons (Edward
Thomas,1998); they "attended the same school or have the same
parents or practice the same profession". Such relationships are
reciprocal, i.e. they obtain equally for both individuals.

7. The varying aspect of the solidarity dimension is its intensity, or degree of
solidarity, ranging from close intimacy to distant reserve.
The former type of relationship is likely to be marked by a mutual exchange
of first names, while the latter is by reciprocal use of titles and last names

8. Solidarity concerns the social distance between the
characteristics they shared (Hudson, 1960).
How much experience they have shared, and how many social
characteristics do they share (religion, region of origin, race,
occupation, interest, etc.)

9. Solidarity forms express intimacy and familiarity
(Polly Sterling, 2000).
Solidarity can be achieved in interactions where interlocutors share some
common attributes, for instance, attendance at the same school, work in the
same profession, membership in the same family, etc.

10. The solidary relationship is symmetrical in that if speaker A has the same
parents (or attended the same school, etc.) as speaker B, then B has the
same parents as A.
It is important to note that not every shared personal attribute creates
solidarity.
For example, two people who have the same color eyes or the same shoe
size will not automatically have an intimate relationship.

11. We notice that power and solidarity whether there are differences
between the speaker and hearer.
We can feel it practically, students to their colleagues will use the proper
name like :
“Zahra” because there is intimacy between students.
whereas when talking about the dean or the head of the department will
say in Arabic :
‫القسم‬ ‫رئيس‬ ‫السيد‬
“

12.  The pronoun (you )
Some languages have other devices for signaling power and solidarity
such as the French “Tu” and “Vous”
 Both meaning (you ) and both singular and plural although “vous” is
plural .
 Tu is used to closing subordinates like (John) whereas a “vous” is
used to a distant superior (Mr.)

13.  The pronoun (you )
By using a plural pronoun (you ) , the speaker protects the other person’s
power face in two ways (it has two functions):
1)The plural pronoun picks out the other persons less directly than the
singular form does.
2)To protect the person .addressed is the representative of a larger group
which obviously puts them in a position of greater power.

14. In Arabic, when we face ambiguity we use
“ "
‫حضرتكم‬
,
‫جنابكم‬
When we receive a call from an unknown person we use
‫حضرتك‬ ‫من‬
" "
This word is applicable to both males and females.

15. The clearest linguistic markers of social relations in
English are “personal names”
Each person has a number of different names by which
she /he can be addressed. Like :
 Mr. John
 John

16. Mr.John is used when there is “low solidarity”
John has more power than the speaker “Superior” :
(The boss, headmaster).
While …..

17. John is used if there is high solidarity between
interlocutors and John has less power than the speaker.
Like :
The speaker’s son.

18. According to Hudson (1996), the relationship between
power and solidarity is not necessarily as the following
“the less power, the higher solidarity, and vice versa”
Hudson

19. Hudson said:
“Solidarity inevitably increases through time”
Because people get to know each other better and this
occurs gradually .by the passage of time , intimate
language will be used”.

20. My best friend was not before a year “When we first
met, we were socially distant”

21. With the passage of time, the power of the speaker might
decrease as when losing the institutional rank, things that
always changed.
The same is true with solidarity. like :
Close friends can be distant when traveling abroad and
don’t meet anymore.

22. Hudson adds that the choice of pronouns in French has
changed over the centuries. Like :
It was normal until quite recently for French children to call
their father “vous” for his greater power, but in modern
urban society, it’s usual for them to call him “tu” because of
the high solidarity.