Language and Politics

John E. Joseph is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh and currently holds a three-year Major Research Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust. His previous book, Language and Identity (2004) has found a wide readership among sociologists, political scientists, historians, anthropologists and others besides linguists, many of whom will want to read his Language and Politics as its successor and complement.

Joseph provides a sweeping yet succinct analysis of key issues in the politics of language and the language of politics. What is impressive about this book is his synthesis of a wide range of topics, many of them based in disparate analytical traditions. Better yet, Joseph writes in a clear and engaging – often humorous – style, perhaps itself a very intentional political choice. I believe it is an effective one, and I highly recommend this book.

• 1. Overview; 2. Language and nation; 3. The social politics of language choice and linguistic correctness; 4. Politics embedded in language; 5. Taboo language and its restriction; 6. Rhetoric, propaganda and interpretation; 7. Conclusion: power, hegemony and choices.