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Language as Power, Revisited

 Language and the way it is communicated are expressions of power. When we hear someone speaking differently than what we are accustomed to, we see it as an error that needs to be addressed. In an education class, I remember learning about "BICS" (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) and "CALP" (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency"), the former being language used during informal conversation--such as when talking to a friend--and the latter being academic language that someone would use in a formal educational setting. Someone who speaks using BICS can also be perceived as uneducated, while someone using the academic CALP can appear intelligent.

With that said, it does not seem far-fetched to argue that there can also be a BICS and CALP in the way we speak (intonation, etc.), and not just in the words we use. Upspeak (the tonal lift at the end of a sentence that makes a statement sound like a question) and vocal fry (the closest analogy is a frying or sizzling sound in the voice; see the video for a demonstration: http://mentalfloss.com/article/61552/what-vocal-fry), for example, might be considered an informal BICS method of speaking, with friends, for example. However, I learned from the above cited mentalfloss article (citing a study, found in the video) that women who use vocal fry are seen as "educated, urban-oriented, and upwardly mobile."

Perhaps one explanation for this is that people who speak using upspeak and vocal fry have been taught the CALP language of the academic world, and use the words of that world to communicate a message, but use an informal tone to express it. In short, they have married BICS and CALP, and therefore are perceived as educated because of the content of their speech (and, it would seem, socially aware, since those who use upspeak have been viewed as looking for acceptance of what they are saying, as argued here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RjPOUZkLfU).

Quebec is a salient example of language as an expression of power. Alex Montreuil, who suffers from a tomato-related food allergy, requested in English that a food server at the Jewish General Hospital take care when working with tomatoes. When he was challenged for using English, he responded by saying he could speak in whatever language he chose, another person threw a tomato and tuna sandwich at him. This person told him before she threw the sandwich that those in Quebec should speak French. (more examples of violence against English speakers in Quebec are found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/tom-kott/anglophone-quebec_b_2053199.html). While this is an example of power expressed through language, it does not seem incredible to argue that the way we express a language can also be an expression of power.

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