Hierarchy & Power

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Hierarchy and Power - Studies

The last part of occupational language is all to do with a workplace hierarchy and distribution of power.

Thornborrow

Thornborrow argues that the workplace is built with asymmetrical power. This means that different people have different amounts of power.
In a school, the following (or similar) power structure exists:
- Headteacher → Deputy headteacher → Assistant headteachers → heads of departments → teachers → support staff → students.

Drew and Heritage

Drew and Heritage argue that special rules come into play in these hierarchal settings. They say that things work very differently in a workplace than in normal conversation.
- For example, a teacher is more likely to take orders and commands from the headteacher in a workplace environment than if the two were in conversation in a non-workplace environment (like the pub).

Atkinson

In certain workplaces, the asymmetry is accentuated.
- For example, Atkinson notes that there is hyper-formal turn-taking order in parliament.

Holmes and Stubbe

Holmes and Stubbe argue that those in higher-power position can downplay or assert authority to alter their status.

Blank

Blank argues that we change our language in an attempt to fit in with the social situation and to exert influence.

Hierarchy and Power - French and Raven

French and Raven proposed a model of five ‘bases of power’. In this model, there are five distinct types of power used in the workplace. These are as follows:

Legitimate

A genuine power that someone has.
- For example, a teacher has a legitimate power of a student because the student is a subordinate of the teacher.

Coercive

A power with the ability to force (or coerce) someone into doing something.
- For example, a headteacher can coerce a teacher into marking in a certain way or to make a student behave.

Reward

A power with the ability to offer some form of reward in exchange for compliance (or to withhold the reward for a lack of compliance).
- For example, a teacher may give a student a sweet for correctly answering questions.

Referent

A power based on rapport with people – you may do something because you like that person.
- For example, a teacher may cover another teacher’s lesson because there is a sense of friendship/loyalty between them. To take that the other way, a teacher may agree to cover a lesson to gain referent power.

Expert

A power formed from superior knowledge.
- For example, you listen to your teacher because they have the knowledge which you need.

1Language Levels

1.1Assessment Objectives

1.1.1Assessment Objectives

1.2Lexis

1.2.1Introduction

1.2.2Common, Proper, Abstract & Concrete Nouns

1.2.3Collective Nouns

1.2.4Adjectives

1.2.5Main, Auxiliary & Copular Verbs

1.2.6Dynamic & Stative Verbs

1.2.7Transitive, Intransitive, Active & Passive Verbs

1.2.8Mood of Verbs

1.2.9Adverbs

1.2.10Personal, Possessive & Reflexive Pronouns

1.2.11Relative & Demonstrative Pronouns

1.2.12Determiners

1.2.13Conjunctions

1.2.14Synonyms, Antonyms & Phonological Features

1.2.15End of Topic Test - Lexis

1.3Grammar

1.3.1Morphology

1.3.2Clauses

1.3.3Phrases

1.3.4Present Tense

1.3.5Past Tense

1.3.6Future Tense

1.3.7End of Topic Test - Grammar

1.4Semantics & Pragmatics

1.4.1Semantics

1.4.2Pragmatics

1.5Discourse Structure, Graphology & Orthography

1.5.1Discourse Structure

1.5.2Graphology & Orthography

1.5.3End of Topic Test - Semantics, Graphology etc.

2Language, The Individual & Society

2.1Children’s Language Development

2.1.1The Exam

2.1.2Phonemes, Vocal Tract & Articulation

2.1.3Writing About Phonemes

2.1.4Phonological Simplification

2.1.5A Child's First Year & Consonant Acquisition

2.1.6Beginning Stages of Language

2.1.7Lexical Development

2.1.8Stages of Development

2.1.9End of Topic Test - Child Language Development

2.2Children's Language Development - Theories

2.2.1Behaviourism

2.2.2Interactionism

2.2.3Challenging Interactionism

2.2.4Nativism

2.2.5Nativism - Exam Answer

2.2.6Cognitivism

2.2.7Social Constructionism

2.2.8Writing About Spoken Acquisition

2.2.9End of Topic Test - Development Theories

2.3Literacy Development: Reading

2.3.1Introduction

2.3.2Phonics vs Whole Word

2.3.3Debates in Reading

2.3.4Modelling Reading Acquisition

2.3.5Other Reading Theories

2.3.6End of Topic Test - Reading

2.4Literacy Development: Writing

2.4.1Orthography

2.4.2Kroll's Theory

2.4.3Barclay's Theory

2.4.4Creativity vs Accuracy

2.4.5Other Writing Theories

2.4.6The Exam

2.4.7End of Topic Test - Writing

3Language Diversity & Change

3.1The Importance of Gendered Language

3.1.1Writing About Gender

3.1.2Dominance Theory

3.1.3Interruptions - Zimmerman & West

3.1.4Deficit Theory

3.1.5Difference Model

3.1.6Difference Model - Men

3.1.7Diversity Model

3.1.8End of Topic Test - Gendered Language

3.2Social Groups

3.2.1Writing About Social Groups

3.2.2Social Class

3.2.3Social Class 2

3.2.4Age

3.2.5Age - Teen Speak

3.2.6Milroy’s Belfast Study

3.2.7Labov’s Martha’s Vineyard Study

3.2.8End of Topic Test - Social Groups

3.3Occupational Groups

3.3.1Writing About Occupational Groups

3.3.2Jargon

3.3.3Conversations

3.3.4Hierarchy & Power

3.3.5End of Topic Test - Occupational Groups

3.4Accents & Dialects

3.4.1Writing About Accent & Dialect

3.4.2Introduction to Accents & Dialects

3.4.3Accents - Matched Guide Experiment

3.4.4Accents - Received Pronunciation & Brummie

3.4.5Dialects - Dialectal Variations

3.4.6Accent & Dialect Case Study - London

3.4.7End of Topic Test - Accents & Dialects

3.5Language Change

3.5.1Writing About Language Change

3.5.2Modelling Change

3.5.3Modelling Change 2

3.5.4Lexical Change

3.5.5Semantic Change

3.5.6End of Topic Test - Language Change

3.6History of English

3.6.1Old English

3.6.2Old English 2

3.6.3Middle English

3.6.4Middle English 2

3.6.5Early Modern English

3.6.6Late Modern English

3.6.7Present Day English

3.6.8Global English

3.6.9American English

3.6.10Modelling Global English

3.6.11End of Topic Test - History of English

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