Power in communication: implications for the semantics-pragmatics interface

Abstract

This paper argues that closer attention to social factors, and especially to power relations, may enrich the theoretical study of language. It takes its departure from Searle’s work in the philosophy of language and on the foundations of social reality. Searle’s analysis of language and institutional facts implies a consensus view of society, and rests upon an ideology of language as a kind of social contract. Some problems for such a contract view are pointed out, and an alternative approach, which may be qualified as a conflict view of language and communication, is outlined. Power is a crucial variable in such a view; some of the desirable features of such a power concept are discussed. A conflict view of language may have non-trivial implications for the division of labor between semantics and pragmatics, and provide a fresh perspective on the notions of literal language and language change.