Language Ideologies

Discussion :language is a myth and how it is instead linked to power and domination.

From ancient times to the present day, the language of power has attracted widespread attention and has been the subject of discussion and systematic research. Language studies by political scientists led to the emergence of a number of borderline categories, in particular political myth. “The whole set of beliefs that exist in this era, in most cases, can be reduced to certain fundamental assumptions, which at present, regardless of whether they are true or false, are perceived by the masses as pure truth, while there is such confidence that they can hardly be called assumptions .A political myth contains "fundamental assumptions" regarding political issues. It consists of symbols that are resorted to not only to clarify, but also to justify specific practices of power. Foucault’s writings on power relations and discourse, and the work of practice theorists(Ahearn ,2016).

It is incorrect to assume that the term “myth” necessarily gives a fictitious, false or irrational connotation to the symbols that make up it, although there are often grounds for such an interpretation. the ways in which language use is enmeshed with relations of power and agency were made explicit by focusing on language and gender(Ahearn ,2016)

Studying the processes of restriction and dissemination requires turning to the general theory of language and to language as a factor determining the state of power and fixing various political trends. A certain part of the reforms carried out by the authorities is caused by linguistic reasons, in this regard, one of our tasks is to establish a relationship between the special theory of language, politics and the general theory of power. “Attitudes to language within standard language cultures are then reviewed and contrasted with unstandardized situations, in which the boundaries of languages are indeterminate”. (Milroy, 2001).

With the help of power, we can understand the relationship between people who, if necessary, make their choice under duress(Brown & Dick, 2019). Words and power are closely related, since the indicators of power are largely verbal in nature (order - execution of an order, proposal - approval, etc.). Words are also of great importance during periods of transition for power - during times of revolutionary unrest and constitutional innovation.

References

Ahearn, L. M. (2016). Living language: An introduction to linguistic anthropology (Vol. 2). John Wiley & Sons.

Brown, M., & Dick, H. P. (2019, August 16). Speak American. Retrieved from http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/2019/08/16/speak-american/.

Milroy, J. (2001). Language ideologies and the consequences of standardization. Journal of sociolinguistics, 5(4), 530-555.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me4 Qwmallo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7I3LBUS11Xc