Power Dynamics in Classroom Communication: A Case Study of Primary School Teachers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The article analyzes the manifestations of power in language communication of primary school teachers through a survey of actual speech at the Practical Primary School - Saigon University, combined with a questionnaire survey of 29 teachers. The study applies the discourse theory framework of Fairclough (2001), Foucault (1980) and the power classification system of French & Raven (1959) to identify three main types of power: legitimate, rewarding, and coercive. In addition to verbal factors, non-verbal factors such as tone, eye contact, and spatial distance also contribute to consolidating power in the classroom. The results show that power in teacher communication is a soft, flexible and constructive structure, directly affecting students' learning motivation, behavior, and classroom spirit. Keywords: Linguistic Power, Primary School Teachers, Pedagogical Communication, Classroom Discourse, Soft Power.