Speech communication is social power…

1. Speech communication is social power… “Communication is power. Those who have mastered its effective use can change their own experience of the world and the world’s experience of them.” (Anthony Robbins) B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication)

2. Social power relations B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication) Power underlies all social relations; put differently, it makes social relationships work Social relations include speech interactions in which people exercise power to achieve their purposes for speaking/listening Social relations of power are never equal - E.g. in academic lectures (interactions), the lecturer exercises greater power as well as different types of power over the students

3. Defining power B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication) Anthony Giddens (1995) defines “power” as “the use of resources, of whatever kind, to secure outcomes” in social practices (p. 214). Pierre Bourdieu (1991): In Language and symbolic power, Bourdieu argues that “…language should he viewed not only as a means of communication but also as a medium of power through which individuals pursue their own interests and display their practical competence”.

4. Defining power (cont’d) B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication) Fairclough says that power is “conceptualized both in terms of asymmetries between participants in discourse events, and in terms of unequal capacity to control how texts are produced, distributed and consumed… in particular sociocultural contexts (1995, p. 1)

5. Defining power (cont’d) B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication) • Fairclough (1989, 2001) distinguishes between two major dimensions of power: • “power in discourse” – the actual exercise of power (see types of power below) to actively constrain or control others and their contributions by using language in social interactions E.g. in spoken/written interactions between lecturer and student, doctor and patient, supervisor and worker, etc.

6. Defining power (cont’d) B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication) • “power behind discourse” – how relations of power shape and make up social orders and institutions that are structured and interconnected through the use of language E.g. in the university social order: “vice chancellor”, “dean”, “head of department”, “lecturer”, and “student”. • Institutionalized language or “standardized language” (e.g. “standard BahasaMalaysia”or “standard English”) is an important form of power behind discourse i.e those who can use it have power over those who can’t • My take: Power = C + C + D i.e. Control, Choice, and Decision-making over/on behalf of other people

7. Types of social power B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication) • Expert power • based on knowledge and/or expertise in a discipline • May also be called “intellectual power” • E.g. lecturers and professors • Referent power • Based on admiration or idol worship • E.g. pop/movie stars and popular politicians

8. Types of social power (cont’d) B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication) • Legitimate power • Also known as “authoritative power” • Drawn from legal sources or credentials • E.g. Teachers, lawyers, lecturers, government ministers, etc. • Coercive power • Based on the use of force (physical, legal, intellectual, etc.) • Also known as “punishment power”

9. Types of social power (cont’d) B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication) • Reward power • Based ability to give rewards and incentives to others under control of person who exercises this form of power • E.g. parents, teachers, politicians, etc. • Persuasive power • Based on ability to use language to secure consent/agreement of other peple • Sometimes known as “bargaining power”

10. Some comments on power B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication) Social power in interactions, including spoken interactions/communication, works as a combination of different forms of power People who exercise power may be called “power holders” (see examples in types of power above) The exercise of power becomes problematic when the holder abuses it to dominate/manipulate others and/or for personal gain

11. Read more on power… B. A. (English Language) /BBI 3213 (Speech Communication) http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/TCH.CHAP20.HTM http://www.slideshare.net/viteriange/bases-of-social-power http://books.google.com/books/about/Language_and_power.html?id=5RJxAAAAIAAJ http://books.google.com/books/about/Language_and_symbolic_power.html?id=u2ZlGBiJntAC