Power in Language

Verbal Communication and Social Influence

This volume is a comprehensive analysis of research and theory on verbal communication and social influence. It examines a variety of empirical studies, theoretical positions, methodological matters and substantive issues pertaining to the use of language for generating influence and control. It moves from the basic concept 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.