What's the Deal with Language and Power?

Introducing Language and Power



Hi, it's nice to meet you.

My name is Olivia.

I am a senior at Webster University majoring in Scriptwriting.

I am an Aries and an introvert who loves to travel and curl up on the couch with a great story.

The beach is where I wish to be all the time, but I live in St. Louis, Mo. 

One of my favorite films is Titanic, whereas the best film I've ever watched is The Dark Knight.

Chloe
When I'm not writing or studying storytelling, I am usually playing ball with my two Australian Shepherds. 
Boone






I have been a vegetarian for almost five years. The most exciting part about being a vegetarian is finding new recipes to try and recreate.

My Relationship with Language and Power

For me, personally, when I think about the word "power," the word "control" comes next. Powerful people, like presidents or C.E.Os, obtain a mass about of power due to their positions. By their own decisions, they can be positive or negative. One of the ways control can be asserted is by using language. 

When a president makes a speech, depending on the tone and the chosen words used, the president displays power. Just like in a classroom. 

In the Classroom

A teacher, whether public, private or daycare, can stand in front of the room with an authoritative tone, the students most likely will listen better because there is a sense of control. 

Learning from a Daycare Setting 

I worked with eighteen to two-year-olds at a daycare for nearly two years. Within those two years, I saw how language impacts a variety of responses from refusing to listen to be willing to complete tasks without many commands. Playing into how language controls a setting tonally, it also helps assert who carries the power in the room. 


The words and phrases used can have an impact on a response, whether it's negative or positive. If I were to use a phrase the children did not know, I would receive little to no response. I believe a part of power and language combining together and influencing one another is about the response. 

Usually, by being more assertive with my tone and using phrases the babies were familiar with, I would receive a better response. However, if I was having an off day, the babies could sense that and have the potential to carry more power. This might sound crazy, but when there are eight babies in one room it can become a constant power struggle amongst them and the teachers. 

Language and Power and Cheerleading 

For me, personally, when I was a cheerleader in high school it didn't take long for one to two girls on the team to speak louder than the others. Their voices were heard more by our coaches therefore those two girls' opinions, options, and desires were met more so than the ones who never spoke up. It was clear who led the team. 

Language is a powerful tool for leaders, teachers, parents, students, co-workers, etc. To then be able to use language and understand the language of certain audiences creates the tools to potentially be a powerful leader. I believe you can't have one without the other.

Further Reading: 






Photo Citations:

NeetiR. Leadership and Power. May 5, 2010. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leadership_and_Power.jpg.

Silhouette of a Cheerleader. April 23, 2020. Photograph. Free SVG. https://freesvg.org/silhouette-of-a-cheerleader.

Word Cloud Tags. March 19, 2015. Photograph. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/word-cloud-words-tag-cloud-679936/.

Youngson, Nick. Power. Photograph. Picpedia. Accessed August 29, 2021. https://www.picpedia.org/chalkboard/p/power.html.











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