This presentation is about power of English language.

1. POWER OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE
MUHAMMAD SALEEM

3. POWER OF LANGUAGE

4. • The more you speak more languages, the more you understand about yourself.
(Sandra)
• The limits of my language are the limits of my world.
(Ludwig)
• Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they
grow. (Holmes)
LANGUAGE

6. ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND POWER
• Political power - power held by people with authority, such as
politicians and the police.
• Personal power - power based on an individual's occupation or
role in society. For example, a professor would likely hold more
power than a teaching assistant.
• Social group power - power held by a group of people due to
certain social factors, such as class, ethnicity, gender, or age.
Shân Wareing (1999)

7. SUBDIVISION
• Instrumental power
• Influential power
• People, or organizations, can hold instrumental power,
influential power, or both.

8. INSTRUMENTAL POWER
• Instrumental power is seen as authoritative power. Typically
speaking, someone who has instrumental power has power simply
because of who they are. These people do not have to convince
anyone of their power or persuade anyone to listen to them; others
must listen to them simply because of the authority they have.
• Example
• Government officials
• Police

9. FEATURES
• Formal register
• Imperative sentences - giving requests, demands, or advice
• Modal verbs - e.g., 'you should'; 'you must'
• Mitigation - using language to reduce the seriousness of what is
being said
• Conditional sentences - e.g., ‘if you don’t respond soon, further
action will be taken.’
• Declarative statements - Declaration

10. INFLUENTIAL POWER
• Influential power refers to when a person (or group of people)
does not have any authority but is trying to gain power and
influence over others. Those who wish to gain influential
power may use language to persuade others to believe in
them or support them.
• This type of power is often found in politics, the media, and
marketing.

11. FEATURES
• Assertions - presenting opinions as facts
• Metaphors - the use of established metaphors can reassure the
audience and evoke the power of memory, establishing a bond
between the speaker and the listener.
• Loaded language - language that can evoke strong emotions
• Embedded assumptions - assuming the listener is really
interested in what the speaker has to say

12. FEATURES OF LANGUAGE AND POWER

13. LEXICAL CHOICE
• Emotive language - e.g., emotive adjectives use
• Figurative language - e.g., metaphors, similes, and personification
• Forms of address - someone with power may refer to others by
their first names but expect to be addressed more formally, i.e.,
'miss', 'sir', 'ma'am' etc.

14. GRAMMAR
• Interrogatives - asking the listener/reader questions
• Modal verbs - e.g., 'you should'; 'you must’
• Imperative sentences - commands or requests, e.g., 'vote now!'

15. PHONOLOGY
• Alliteration - the repetition of letters or sounds
• Assonance - the repetition of vowel sounds
• Intonation - Rising and falling intonation

16. POWER OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE

17. ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND POWER
•Media

18. ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND POWER
• Politics

19. ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND POWER
• Education

20. ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND POWER
• Law

21. ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND POWER
• Religion

22. ENGLISH LANGUAGE & POWER
• Widely spoken language
• Access to resources
• Enhanced career opportunities
• Communication with international communities
• Opportunities for travel and cultural exchange

23. COMMON CHALLENGES
• Pronunciation difficulties
• Limited vocabulary
• Grammar errors
• Limited listening and comprehension skills
• Writing difficulties

24. REFERENCES
• L. Thomas & S. Wareing. Language, Society and Power: An Introduction, 1999.
• N. Fairclough. Language and Power, 1989.
• E. Goffman. Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior, 1967.
• J. Sinclair and M. Coulthard. Towards an Analysis of Discourse: the English used
by Teachers and Pupils, 1975.
• https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/english/key-concepts-in-language-
and-linguistics/language-and-power/

25. THANK YOU