Language for Political Reasons and Politics as a Function of Linguistics - Essay Example

Name xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Instructor xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date Introduction Politics and language can be looked at as a pair of Siamese twins, sharing a major operative support center, heart, which is the purpose for organization, structures and control. Politics is concerned with power of decision making, resource control and as well control behaviors and values of people. It is concerned with dealing with power imbalances between and amongst individuals and systems often done through bargains for compromise through various methods. There are approximately 3000–6000 languages spoken by human beings across the world, each representing particular cultures’ urge to be self-ruling. The factor of these many languages is evidence of the deeply political nature of man. Though all animals are political in one way or another, either defined by nature or otherwise and displaying hierarchical systems of rule and control, man is most political. The political nature is evidenced in all of man’s spheres such as economics, social issues such as gender and religion; medicine, law, and education. The spheres have imbalances spread through various levels of human interaction and linguistics is a tool used to deal off these imbalances. This paper will explore the various relationships between the ‘Siamese twins’ at various levels and aspects of human interactions. The paper will address the issue of political power, politics of change, law and medicine practices, and as well gender and linguistics. Language for political reasons This approach of politics is one that not only considers the political nature of human but that some go further to become politicians bidding for leadership, power and control and as well for followers. Language is used to articulate political ideologies where masses are drawn to adapting and believing views of a few to be the views and ideas of everyone. This is a linguistic-political dimension showing how those in power or desiring power use language to their advantage. Aristotle refers to this as the art of persuasion. The art married with that of bargaining is employed in forming coalitions. The French Revolution goes down in historical records as both an event and a process that was to mark the beginning of the Modern Age. The revolution displays a well calculated and gifted use of speech and writing to spearhead change. The revolution was set off by a speech by Richard Spice1 which appealed to the members of the Society for the Commemoration of the Revolution of Great Britain (about fifty) in attendance. The language, style and tone of his speech were expressive and important2. He begins “What an eventful period this is! I am thankful that I have lived to see it; and I could almost say, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation… be encouraged, all ye friends of freedom, and writers in its defense! The times are auspicious. Your labors are not in vain. Behold kingdoms, admonished by you, starting from sleep, breaking their fetters, and claiming justice from their oppressors! Behold, the light you have struck out, after setting America free, reflected to France and there kindled into a blaze that lays despotism in ashes, and warms and illuminates Europe!...” 3 These words marked the trigger to responses all over the Europe, and a battle of words, written and spoken throughout the Revolution. This was a pamphlet war between Edmund Burke 4 and Price’s speech, now known as Discourse polarizing opinion on the lines on conservatism from Burke’s Reflections and liberalism, from Price’s Discourse. The discourse was a display of the speaker’s intelligence, his effect on the listeners and the ensuing war affected by his social worthiness, and that he was well exposed academically and highly ranked in the church. However, history records that the Reflections attracted more attention and support than the Discourse. Interpreting language in this way is a political act affecting social hierarchy positioning. The choice of words and platform appealed to the masses that did trust the revolutionaries with power and responsibility. The revolution eventually became people driven, but powered by the revolutionaries. Contrary to the critics view in the subject of politics and linguistics that language has to do with cognition and stands above interpersonal use, the politics of language in the French Revolution was no after-effect, neither a side-show nor was it a small ignoble phenomenon. Politics of Which Language to Speak The choice of language depends on and is a key determinant of the relationship among the speakers and listeners. In addition, if the platform is mono-linguistic, that is the speakers and the listeners share a common language, the correct choice of words is highly determining of the relationship and the results of the communication. Politicians seeking political power and control are known to discretionally use words across different platforms, since the potential followers are not similar. In different meetings, they are known to address correspondingly different issues, appealing to the listeners. This goes along social classes, religious and as well ethnical boundaries. In the politics of what language to speak, sanctions are likely to follow from a wrong choice. In the medical practice in South Africa, the biggest challenge to quality medical care is language barrier. This is a generally mono-lingual society, with a dominant indigenous Xhosa language and a poor majority household count. The barrier adds to the power imbalance between health providers and patients, and amongst different rankings within the medical personnel. The imbalance profile was such as patients occupied a position of minimal power relative to the doctors’ power and knowledge, the poor being at a bigger disadvantage. The doctors often misapprehended, and mistranslated diagnoses. They were also feeling masked by conversations between the translating nurses and the Xhosa locals. Lack of a standard language, created a messed-up health care system paralyzed by the lack of control. In the practice of law, a choice of words determines the drop of scale between the defendant and the plaintiff. The case cited between the boys and the police was measure of power, power sourced from the appropriate choice of words. This is referred to as lexical struggle, which entails creation and challenging of labels and theories by either party. The strategies of the struggle are word choice, label correction and substitution, ideological contest over meaning of words and as well naturalization also known as (re)formulation. It may also involve replacing a contested, politicized, item with another by overt correction or convert substitution. This is not only the politics of choice of language and words, but also the politics of different ways of speaking. This art of politics was displayed by the women legislators in a masculine institution, House of Commons, after the 2007 elections. They asserted their positions in the House by choosing a different language or means of communication from the men who would interrupt, heckle, filibuster and joke to get additional advantage unfairly. Language and ideologies Politics is a drive of ideologies all seeking to make change happen. Non modern people can well engage in modern linguistic ideology. However, a corollary of the anthropological emphasizes that the traditional has power to encompass the modern, asserting that the indigenous can make the modern fit in its dimensions. The struggle of the Urapim depicts an unconscious fight against a modern linguistic ideology that has come along Christianity. Modernity has some content, to which those who adopt it must reckon, although keeping things culturally indigenous is the only way of ensuring that they are ethnographically real. Linguistics is also political in nature, seeking to wield control over issues. The Urapim encounter modernity with an elaborate indigenous ideology. The use of language in religious activities is an area where modernity does not merge with the indigenous causing a conflict and distrust. This conflict has resulted from past experience. The past is a political facet that linguistics encounters. The modern linguistic ideology, ties intention, meaning, and truthfulness and is attested in the ethnography of modernity. Due to the distrust and secrecy of the traditional religion, implemented verbally, the Urapim’s language ideology is that which holds that the hidden things of the heart cannot be reliably communicated verbally. Gender, Linguistics and Power The definition of gender takes on a sociological, biological, psychological and as well the political approach. Cameron argues that though the biggest question in the issue of gender difference is trying to define the difference between man and woman, masculinities and femininities come in multiple varieties. This is subject to age, ethnicity, class, occupation and personal inclination; factors which are either a product or a result of politics. Language and platform choice have proven to be politically tactical as the position of a woman in the society changes and as well the issues of gender, sexuality and hetero-normativity. In contemporary studies, gender has been studied as ‘per formative’ and as repeated stylization of the body. Linguistics is one of the ways this perfomative nature is manifested. Through linguistics, a continuum of difference is manifest between being too masculine and being too feminine. A study observed that in a class of both girls and boys, boys whose performance is mix of personal authority and interpersonal sensitivity get better positive assessment than girls. A dominance of either sides of the continuum is less rewarded. This is more due to interactional consequences of peer group disapproval than sexism on the teacher’s side. It furthers the suggestion that gender-linguistic relation is based on the activities the men and women participate in, and on what terms. In a mixed-gender community, where women are viewed or view themselves as go-betweens of change, they can use their linguistics to show that they can be trusted as good community members In the Xhosa speaking community of South Africa the medical-care power imbalance was also along gender and poverty lines. Women were more disadvantaged than men and were reported to even suffer depression and engage in substance abuse. In conclusion, language and politics are inseparable, one being an organ of the other. Politics is a function of linguistics. In addition, linguistics have been seen to be political all seeking to wield power and control in systems of imbalance. References Cameron, D, 2000. “Styling the worker: Gender and the Commodification of language in the global service economy”, Journal of Social Linguistics, vol. 4, pp 323-347 Cameron, D, 2005. “Language, Gender and Sexuality: Current Issues and new directions”, Applied Linguistics, vol. 26 (4 ), pp482-502 Crawford, A, 1999, “We can’t all understand the white’s language: An analysis of monolingual society”, International Journal of the Sociology of Language, vol. 136, pp 27-45 Eades, D, 2006, “Lexical Struggle in Court: Aboriginal Australians versus the state”, Journal of Social Linguistic, vol. 10 (2), pp 153-180 Ehrlich, S, 2001. Representing Rape: Language and Sexual Consent, London: Routledge Joseph, E, 2006. Language and Politics, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd Mills, S, 2003, Gender and Politeness, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Norton, B, 2000, Identity and Language Learning, Gender, Ethnicity, and Educational Change, New York: Oxford University Press. Thomas, D Ed, 1991, Political Writings: Richard Price, 1789, “A Discourse on the Love of our Country,” Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Robbins, J, 2001. “God is nothing but talk: Modernity, Language, and Prayer in Papua New Guinea Society”, American Anthropologist, vol. 103 (4), pp 901-912 Read More