Language, Society and Consciousness - The Collected Works of Ruqaiya Hasan Vol 1 - Ruqaiya Hasan†
11 The Disempowerment Game: Bourdieu on language
Language, Society and Consciousness - The Collected Works of Ruqaiya Hasan Vol 1 - Ruqaiya Hasan†
Ruqaiya Hasan† [+]
Macquarie University
Description
The four issues to be discussed in this chapter are as follows: (i) that Bourdieu’s view of linguistics and his reading of Saussure’s text are, both, ‘monocular’. To the extent that these limited readings are presented as definitive, they are misleading; (ii) that Bourdieu’s view of language as a semiotic is akin to that of a formal linguist’s, such as, say, Chomsky; it fails to appreciate crucial features of language as a semiotic system; (iii) that his ‘spontaneous socio/linguistics’ is largely equal to what Saussure called ‘external linguistics’; since external linguistics, like internal linguistics, is only half the story, it fails to present a convincing model of the relations of language and society; (iv) that if Bourdieu’s view of language is accepted as the point of departure for pedagogic action, its deficiencies will inevitably result in a less than satisfactory programme for literacy education, denying pedagogic action any role as a liberating force.