8–9. Language, Social Class, Power

• A person's social class is defined by their socio-economic status.
• Social mobility is where someone can change social classes.
• The connection between social status and language mainly relates to attitudes towards accents and dialects.
• Instrumental power is seen as authoritative power; someone who has instrumental power has power simply because of who they are.
• Imperative sentences -giving requests, demands, or advice.
• Modal verbs - e.g., 'you should'; 'you must'
• Mitigation - using language to reduce the seriousness of what is being said.
• Conditional sentences - e.g., ‘if you don’t respond soon, further action will be taken.'
• Declarative statements - e.g., 'in today's class we will look at declarative statements.'
• Latinate words - words derived from or imitating Latin
• Influential power refers to when a person (or group of people) does not have any authority but is trying to gain power and influence over others.
• Assertions are when opinions are presented as facts, for example, 'we all know that England is the greatest country in the world'.
• Metaphors are the use of established metaphors to reassure the audience and evoke the power of memory, establishing a bond between the speaker and the listener.
• Loaded language is language that can evoke strong emotions and/or exploit feelings.
• Embedded assumptions are when assumptions are made about the listener, for example, assuming the listener is really interested in what the speaker has to say.