Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > Language, power and identity

Electronic data

  • S0261444811000048a.pdf

    213 KB, PDF document

Links

Text available via DOI:

View graph of relations

Language, power and identity

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published

Standard

Language, power and identity. / Wodak, Ruth.
In: Language Teaching, Vol. 45, No. 2, 2012, p. 215-233.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Wodak, R 2012, 'Language, power and identity', Language Teaching, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 215-233. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444811000048

APA

Vancouver

Wodak R. Language, power and identity. Language Teaching. 2012;45(2):215-233. doi: 10.1017/S0261444811000048

Author

Wodak, Ruth. / Language, power and identity. In: Language Teaching. 2012 ; Vol. 45, No. 2. pp. 215-233.

Bibtex

@article{49f3b54becaa4f4c8266297ca68b5a40,
title = "Language, power and identity",
abstract = "How are identities constructed in discourse? How are national and European identities tied to language and communication? And what role does power have – power in discourse, over discourse and of discourse? This paper seeks to identify and analyse processes of identity construction within Europe and at its boundaries, particularly the diversity of sources and forms of expression in several genres and contexts. It draws on media debates on Austrian versus Standard High German, on focus group discussions with migrants in eight European countries and on public and political debates on citizenship in the European Union which screen newly installed language tests. The analysis of different genres and publics all illustrate the complexity of national and transnational identity constructions in a globalised world. What is experienced as European or as outside of Europe is the result of multiple activities, some of them consciously planned in the sense of political, economic or cultural intervention, others more hidden, indirect, in the background. Such developments are contradictory rather than harmonious, proceeding in {\textquoteleft}loops{\textquoteright} and partial regressions (rather than in a linear, uni-directional or teleological way). Thus, an interdisciplinary approach suggests itself which accounts for diverse context-dependent discursive and social practices.",
author = "Ruth Wodak",
year = "2012",
doi = "10.1017/S0261444811000048",
language = "English",
volume = "45",
pages = "215--233",
journal = "Language Teaching",
issn = "0261-4448",
publisher = "Cambridge University Press",
number = "2",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Language, power and identity

AU - Wodak, Ruth

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - How are identities constructed in discourse? How are national and European identities tied to language and communication? And what role does power have – power in discourse, over discourse and of discourse? This paper seeks to identify and analyse processes of identity construction within Europe and at its boundaries, particularly the diversity of sources and forms of expression in several genres and contexts. It draws on media debates on Austrian versus Standard High German, on focus group discussions with migrants in eight European countries and on public and political debates on citizenship in the European Union which screen newly installed language tests. The analysis of different genres and publics all illustrate the complexity of national and transnational identity constructions in a globalised world. What is experienced as European or as outside of Europe is the result of multiple activities, some of them consciously planned in the sense of political, economic or cultural intervention, others more hidden, indirect, in the background. Such developments are contradictory rather than harmonious, proceeding in ‘loops’ and partial regressions (rather than in a linear, uni-directional or teleological way). Thus, an interdisciplinary approach suggests itself which accounts for diverse context-dependent discursive and social practices.

AB - How are identities constructed in discourse? How are national and European identities tied to language and communication? And what role does power have – power in discourse, over discourse and of discourse? This paper seeks to identify and analyse processes of identity construction within Europe and at its boundaries, particularly the diversity of sources and forms of expression in several genres and contexts. It draws on media debates on Austrian versus Standard High German, on focus group discussions with migrants in eight European countries and on public and political debates on citizenship in the European Union which screen newly installed language tests. The analysis of different genres and publics all illustrate the complexity of national and transnational identity constructions in a globalised world. What is experienced as European or as outside of Europe is the result of multiple activities, some of them consciously planned in the sense of political, economic or cultural intervention, others more hidden, indirect, in the background. Such developments are contradictory rather than harmonious, proceeding in ‘loops’ and partial regressions (rather than in a linear, uni-directional or teleological way). Thus, an interdisciplinary approach suggests itself which accounts for diverse context-dependent discursive and social practices.

U2 - 10.1017/S0261444811000048

DO - 10.1017/S0261444811000048

M3 - Journal article

VL - 45

SP - 215

EP - 233

JO - Language Teaching

JF - Language Teaching

SN - 0261-4448

IS - 2

ER -