What sort of power is at play?

1. What sort of power is at play? Read your statement carefully and annotate it to show what sort of power is involved. Try to use some of the terms from last lesson. When you are finished, share your ideas with your group.

2. Publishers ... have the power not to publish certain books which they might not like. Because of this we don’t receive the books in our shops. • Received Pronunciation which is often thought to be correct English originated from the public schools and is used and spoken by people with authority such as the Queen and the Royal Family. • If something is described as “ethnic cleansing” it seems less evil than if the same actions were described as “mass murder”. • If a policeman approaches a middle class man who has been caught speeding he may be more inclined to dismiss his behaviour if he manipulates his speech in order to get out of the situation.

3. It’s possible to talk a bully out of thumping you. • When my younger sister was at primary school she wanted to be friends with a group of girls but they wanted to shut her out of the group. In order to do this they made up a code language which only the members of the group knew. • A computer analyst would be using words … which would exclude an outsider whose job does not come in contact with this type of work since he would not understand the work and language being used. • If you know nothing about car maintenance, a young, working‑class car mechanic will have more power in this context due to his/her knowledge of his/her job and the technical terms related with the job. • When children are learning the language, teachers can introduce them to certain words and omit others.

4. Sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me Agree or disagree? You have five minutes to note down your thoughts to this question.

5. Question Coach A: your job is to explain your answer to the question. B: your job is to prompt your partner to explain their thinking in detail and encourage them to re-examine their answer. Use questions to help them think more deeply about their answer and consider other viewpoints. Play devil’s advocate where necessary.

6. Why does name calling have the power to hurt us? • What sort of power is the bully exercising over the victim when he/she calls them names? • (super hard) What could the types of insults that are prevalent in society tell us about social values? In pairs choose one question each. Take two minutes to formulate your answer then share your thoughts. Finally debate your answer to this question in your group. Some Some suggestions: outsider, in-group, majority controls and decides parameters of ‘normality’. Power to hurt. Self-image. Desire to belong. Desire for respect.

7. One for the glossary • Positive face: the image we present to the world – how we like to see ourselves. • You threaten someone’s positive face when you say or do something that shows you don’t accept that. Ie when you say something that is insulting or would make them feel bad about themselves. This is called a positive face threatening act.

8. Dr Rosemary Connolly Mr and Mrs JI Okwe-Pearson Wife Mr Okwe-Pearson (ON,BA Hons, MA, PGCE) Son Dad Father Oki Ms Dodds Granny Jonathan Ichima Okwe-Pearson What sort of relationship would be suggested by each of these different naming conventions? What could you say about the power balance between the addressee and the addressor in each instance? Can you think of different occasions when you are referred to in different ways? Naming conventions can reveal power

9. How does the example link to Language and Power? • A Christmas card has been withdrawn from two Tesco stores in York after complaints that it makes fun of children with ginger hair.

10. Read the article about name calling • What three observations can you make about the power of language? • Pair share

11. Define Denotation and Connotation an animal used for food a greedy person a person who eats in a sloppy manner a police officer PIG

12. Group Task • Working in your groups identify the denotations and connotations for the collections of words you have been given. • Put them into a rank order. • What other words can you offer which you link can have a loaded meaning and therefore convey some kind of power? • 5mins

13. Bird • Horse • Sloth • Machine • Bike • Nazi • Leper • Mug • Tool • Player • Banker • Politician

14. The Power of Names • How can forms of address reveal aspects of the power relationship between people? • Insults threaten our positive face by hurting us and making us feel excluded and rejected • How can insults disempower the victim and empower the perpetrator? Do they always? • Insults tell us something about the values of society. Eg. you’re beautiful could be an insult in a society which valued ugliness. They can also reinforce these values. Task: write a paragraph summing up what you have learnt about name-calling and power in this lesson.