Half Term Homework Text I Exam Question

Language and Power Exam Question

How is power asserted through language?
The first type of that this text asserts power, is the occupation of the person speaking. As this is a school talking to their new year sevens, the headteacher will address them. This means that the headteacher has instrumental power because this is held by individuals or groups that enforce authority.

The second way that the headteacher asserts her power is through the concept on Brown and Levinson's politeness theory. As the headteacher is trying to make a good impression on her new students, she is trying to come across as nice approachable person. The headteacher does this by using a positive face by using phrases such as “we are delighted at that because that means we can retain our quality staff increase our resources further to provide the very best education and experience for your son or daughter”. The phrase “provide the very best education and experience for your son or daughter”,shows us that the headteacher has used positive words such as “best” to try to persuade the parents and students that this is the best choice for them.

The headteacher also uses all of Grice's maxims. Grice's maxim of quantity is used when the headteacher says “it's all about making sure they're happy here and er feel safe and secure”. This shows us that this is one of the main points that the headteacher would like to get across to those in the presentation. This is also a persuasive technique as these two things are reassuring to new students' parents. Grice's maxim of quality is used when the headteacher says “two hundred and eighty five people applied to as their first choice”. This shows us that the headteacher is giving us approximate figures to how many students applied which once again is also persuasive as no student would want to reapply for another school. Grice's maxim of relevance is used when the headteacher says “we're all about students making the progression from key stage two to key stage four”. This shows us that the headteacher is keeping to the relevant topics that need to be discussed at this presentation and is not going off topic just to fill time. Grice's maxim of manner is used when the headteacher says “ I'd like to welcome you all this evening”. This shows us that the headteacher is being polite and is avoiding using obscurity and ambiguity in order to give a good first impression to the people arriving at the presentation.