Power Talk

<p>The concept of social power, who holds it and how they use it is a widely debated subject particularly in the field of discourse analysis, and the wider arena of sociolinguistics.</p><p>In her new book,<b>Joanna Thornborrow</b> challenges the received notion that power is necessarily held by some speakers and not by others. Through the detailed analysis of communication and interaction within a range of institutional settings, she examines power as an emerging, negotiated phenomenon between participants with different status and goals. </p><p>Written in a clear style which combines attention to technical detail with accessibility, <b>Power Talk</b> includes:</p><ul> <li>a comprehensive introduction to the theme of power including the analytic approaches to power in language </li> <li>a wide-ranging discussion of theory and practice </li> <li>and, in-depth contemporary case studies.</li> </ul><p>Power Talk </p><p>is the first book to focus on the topic of power in situated interaction across a range of contexts. As such, it<b> </b>makes a timely, and important contribution to the debate surrounding social power and language use, and will be of value to both students and researchers alike.</p> <p>1. Power, talk and institutional discourse: some key concepts 2. Perspectives on power: approaches to the critical analysis of language and interaction 3. Institutional discourse as asymmetrical talk: power and the orderly interaction in a police interview 4. Questions and control: managing talk in a radio phone-in 5. Resources for control: discursive strategies in media interviews 6. Participation and control: the organisation of classroom discussion talk 7. Power and institutional interaction: some conclusions BibliographyIndex</p>