Language and Power: Basic Concepts introduces readers to foundational ideas about language and power through a collection of thought-provoking articles. The purpose of the book is to inform, but also to encourage readers to formulate their own ideas about language and power in various contexts. Using the concepts and terms provided in the text, readers are encouraged to evaluate and respond to the readings, and apply their analytic skills to related issues of today.

The examples in the anthology present social, political, and historical situations in which language affects the...