Voices of Power: An Inquiry into Language and Social Control

Abstract The relationship between language and social control is complex, but certainly, it becomes clear that linguistic practices may reflect and reinforce existing power structures in society. Hanging into the core of both critical discourse analysis (CDA) and sociolinguistics, this research studies how language can be an instrument of power, ideology, and social behavior regulation in societal domains such as education and media and government. The qualitative research design takes semi-structured interviews with 15 purposively sampled participants, including educators, media practitioners, and local government officials, and employs secondary texts, speeches, and media content in data collection. Thematic analysis and CDA were the research methods that utilized the power dynamics and communicative strategies in the exercise of social control. Findings reveal that language does not only reflect such hierarchies but also serves as a means of strategic exercise of dominance and marginalization. Critical language awareness becomes relevant to enable persons to engage with particular communication practices critically towards building just and reflective communicative practices.