Describes political definitions and forms of power in the modern era. Discusses echoes lingering from the collision between early American linguistics and the late black rebellion against racism. Argues that, despite hopes of attaining democracy through language, there remains little democracy in language. (HB)

Serious and systematic exploration of the differences between the language of women and men has come only since the late l960s, and to date little research has questioned whether and how works of literature reflect the reality described by linguists. One such informal examination was conducted in conjunction with a "Women's Language and…

Argues that Benesch's charge that pragmatism in English for academic purposes (EAP) indicates an accommodationist ideology and an endorsement of current power relations in academia and society is ideologically motivated. Benesch responds by arguing that those who ignore questions of power participate in maintaining the low status of EAP students…

Drawing data from academic counseling encounters in one university, a study examined the practice of invoking others' voices as displays of how the participants have come to know about some particular information, and of their stances toward what they report. The study focused on voicing and its associated linguistic features in several different…

This article discusses ethnographic research and its uses in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher preparation programs. It reviews various sociolinguistically orientated studies, as well as studies informed by a concern for power, politics, and elements of poststructuralism. (32 references) (MDM)

Argues that acquisition of English-as-a-Second-Language research must take into account social context and power relations in order to explain language learning processes. Uses interview data and writing samples to demonstrate how a student in South Africa is influenced in his written discourse in English by his power relations and experience as a…