Language, Ideology, and Power

This module focuses on the interrelations between language, ideology and power within contemporary society. It examines key concepts and ideas investigated by a range of scholars working within a critical perspective. Topics covered include: the structuring influence of language on worldviews; the construal of particular realities through patterned linguistic choices; the inclusion/exclusion, privileging/marginalizing of different social groups through language policies and practices affecting the use (or disuse) of particular language varieties. Target students: those with an active interest in the social and political aspects of language use, willing to articulate their own positions amid lively and complex debate.