Description
Book SynopsisAnna Odrowaz-Coates shows that English, as a language of European integration and communication, has become an element of social status. In privileged social groups, its position has changed from a foreign language to a second language, which demonstrates a linguistic shift with long-term consequences. Socio-educational Factors and Soft Power of Language critically examines the cultural and individual implications of this phenomenon in the context of field study in Poland and Portugal. Odrowaz-Coates uses institutional ethnography with a combination of theoretical constructs, including soft power and positioning theory, to examine evidence of English as a new tool for social stratification and its effect on language policies as well as the ways in which it impacts people''s lives and their opportunities. Whilst critical of the neoliberal, neo-colonial, and imperialistic dimensions of English language hegemony, Odrowaz-Coates argues for a gendered perspective of English as a language of
Trade ReviewAnna Odrowaz-Coates dives deeply into English language acquisition in Portugal and Poland. With unique empirical data—from questionnaires to qualitative interviews and auto-ethnographic observations—the author reaches different scales and perspectives on the issue. She refuses dualistic or simplistic answers, acknowledging both the empowering and the disempowering aspects of English language acquisition. Moving from Fairclough to Foucault, Althusser, and Bourdieu, all of them enriched by postcolonial framings and feminist approaches, Anna Odrowaz-Coates contributes to the socio-educational inequality perspective, relating language to issues of power and soft power. -- Viviane Resende, University of Brasília
Table of ContentsChapter One: Language Positioning in Poland and in Portugal Chapter Two: Under the Umbrella of Institutional Ethnography Chapter Three: Language and Discourse Chapter Four: Linguistic Power Struggles Chapter Five: Language Hierarchy—Social Hierarchy Chapter Six: Social Positioning and Class Diversification Chapter Seven: Linguistic Turn? Chapter Eight: Social Struggle and the Empirical Data Chapter Nine: Language, Gender Aspects, and Social Positioning Conclusion: Summary of the Research Outcomes
