The Language of Democratization: Roles, Social Positions, and Discourse(Routledge Studies in Applied Linguistics)

Since the 1960s, liberal values such as nondiscrimination, equal participation of all in social, political, and cultural spheres, and individual freedom have driven processes of democratization in Western societies – a trend that has recently been countered by the resurgence of illiberal forces, right-wing populism, and authoritarianism. This volume examines processes of democratization and de-democratization from an interdisciplinary perspective, showing how they unfold in language, cultural discourses, and communicative practices. In particular, the collection highlights research on changing roles and social positions: who has access to which social roles, how these roles are performed, and how individual actors are positioned or position themselves within social power structures has undergone profound changes in recent decades, not least in the context of new media environments that challenge established power structures and forms of discourse. Bringing together contributions from linguistics, cultural studies, and related disciplines, the volume seeks to expand our understanding of (de-)democratization beyond the theoretical frameworks of the social sciences. This book will be of interest to students and scholars in fields such as applied linguistics, discourse analysis, cultural studies, education, political science, and sociology.

Table of Contents:
Introduction to the edited collection: The language of democratization: Roles, social positions, and discourse Svenja Kranich & Simone Knewitz Part 1: Language and discourse variation and change as reflections of social roles and positions 1. The impact of social roles on pragmatic conventions: Recent change in American English as effect of democratization Svenja Kranich, Hanna Bruns, & Reem Sabra 2. Happy birthday, machchal! Address terms in English interactions of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora Anke Lensch 3. Vox populi, vox dei! The feminization of titles, offices, and professional names in contemporary Italian language: Mental schemas for different and multiple social roles in linguistic democratization Daniela Pirazzini 4. Pronunciation and political power: The case of Emmanuel Macron Anke Grutschus Part 2: Discourse, roles, and language(s) in language politics and education 5. Social marginality through language policy measures: The gate-keeping function of language proficiency examinations for migrants in Italy Silvia Bonacchi 6. Minority languages and democracy in Germany and Spain: Current trends in applying the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages Felix Tacke & Claudia Wich-Reif 7. The democratization imperative and lines of argumentation on inclusive education: The discourse on integrazione scolastica in Italy in the mid-1970s Eugenio Riversi Part 3: Roles and social positions in discourses on (de-)marginalization 8. Who’s afraid of Critical Race Theory? Moms for Liberty, white identity politics, and the affective rhetoric of the Right in the U.S. Simone Knewitz 9. “To bring true reconciliation and healing”: Discursive strategies and practices of freedmen equality and inclusion in the Cherokee Nation Sabine N. Meyer 10. The letters of exclusion: Indonesia’s anti-LGBT discourse and the creation of a social symptom Timo Duile 11. Worldbuilding & diversity, equality, and inclusion Imke Lichterfeld

About the Author :
Svenja Kranich is Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Bonn, Germany. Simone Knewitz is Senior Lecturer in North American Studies at the University of Bonn, Germany. Daniela Pirazzini is Professor of Romance Linguistics at the University of Bonn, Germany. Hanna Bruns is a research assistant at the University of Bonn, Germany, where she is currently also pursuing her PhD.