Transcript Language and Power File

Year 11 English Language and Literature
Term 3: Language and Power
“Language is a weapon and a powerful tool in
winning public support, especially during the
current information revolution period...it is
also a powerful weapon in the struggle of
community against community,
worldview against worldview.”
Tongtao Zheng (Uni of Tasmania)
“Characteristics of Australian Political Language”
Intercultural Communication, Issue 4, Nov 2000
Language and Power
• Language is much more than a set of words and
phrases with which we use to communicate
• it can be used as a means of controlling or shaping
the thoughts of others
• ‘Power’ refers to the ability of an entity*
(e.g. company, individual, social or political group)
to a) make change, or conversely, b) to maintain
things as they are.
Think
• Where is it evident in contemporary society
whereby an entity* employs language to
influence people’s thoughts, behaviours and
attitudes in order to:
a) make change
b) maintain things as they are
What and Who?
1. What is meant by the age-old saying:
The pen is mightier than the sword?
2. Identify historical figures who
employed powerful language to
change the course of history.
View
• Martin Luther King’s Speech – I Have a Dream
• Selmer
• Activity:
- Construct a Diamante that represents Martin
Luther King’s themes and beliefs
- Develop Peer Feedback
Annotate and Evaluate
• Review Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream
Speech.
• Annotate the script; noting in particular:- Persuasive techniques
- Stylistic features
• As a group, construct and present a multi-modal
presentation that analyses and evaluates the
speech