Power in Language: Verbal Communication and Social Influence (Language and Language Behavior) -

Sik H. Ng, James J. Bradac

SAGE Publications

1993

238 páginas

7h 56m

ISBN-10: 0803944233

How does language work—or fail to work—and, why? How do people use language to generate influence and control? What processes underlie the formation of a powerful or powerless impression, and how are these processes related to speech features? "Power in Language" examines a variety of empirical studies, theoretical positions, methodologies, and substantive issues as they pertain to the use of language for generating influence and control. This comprehensive analysis of research and theory on verbal communication and social influence moves from the 'simplest' case, that of monological speech and the achievement of power, to the increasingly complex and subtle cases of conversational control and linguistic depoliticization. Topics such as linguistic signs of power, language as a resource for creating power, and social causes of verbal power are examined in contexts ranging from informal conversations to newspaper headlines. The research scrutinized ranges from qualitative analyses of social interaction to quantitative analyses of message effects. [This book] will be of interest to researchers, scholars, and students of interpersonal and discourse communications, applied linguistics studies, social psychology, and political sociology.