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Question: Discuss about the Language and Power. Answer: Power resides only where men believe it resides. [...] A shadow on the wall, yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow. The above quoted lines of George R.R. Martin from his famous work A Clash of Kings clearly outline the nature as well as the importance which is generally associated with the concept of power. It is to be noted that since the ancient times the greatness of a person is generally measured in terms of the power which he or she has amassed over the course of their life (Harker, Mahar Wilkes, 2016). Therefore, in the opinion of Plato, the Greek scholar The measure of a man is what he does with power. This essay intends to give an overview of the concept of language and power in the context of Pierre Bourdieus theory of language and power. Pierre Felix Bourdieu (1930-2002) was a French sociologist, anthropologist, philosopher, and public intellectual and most of his works concerned itself with the dynamics of power and of their use in the common everyday language (Jenkins, 2014). His theory of language and power is such a one where he gives an overview of his ideas about the use of power in the common everyday language and how that particular language is used to exert influence over others (Harker, Mahar Wilkes, 2016). It is to be noted that in this particular paper he gives a pertinent account of his views about the concept of power and the way it should be used. The concept of precondition has been defined by Bourdieu as the basic criteria or the condition which must be fulfilled before the desired objective can be achieved (Jenkins, 2014). Therefore, in the specific context which Bourdieu uses the desired goal is the achievement of power and the precondition is the criteria which is essential for the attainment of that condition. It is to be noted that Bourdieu uses the concept of symbolic domination to refer to the way in which the concept of power is used by the various entities for the maintenance of domination over the other entities or individuals (Bourdieu, 1998). In the opinion of Bourdieu, power refers to the ability or the capacity of a particular individual or person to direct or influence the normal course of activities of other peoples lives (Bourdieu, 1998). The concept of misrecognition, on the other hand has been defined by Bourdieu as the lack of ability of the individuals to recognize the true source of the power. It is oft en that the people misrecognise the true source of power and think that it originates from the individual or the person who is sitting on the throne (Bourdieu, 1998). The concept of legitimated variety, on the other hand, has been defined by Bourdieu as the concept by means of which the individual or the person can find out the source of the power and can make a judgment whether it is legitimate or not (Bourdieu, 1998). It is to be noted that Bourdieu claims that there should be variety in power and that it should not be centered in the hands of one particular person but equally distributed among all the individuals just like in the case of democracy. Bourdieu defines the concept of stratified societies as the ones which have been segregated on the basis of the various factors like social, economic, cultural and others (Bourdieu, 1998). It is to be noted that although Bourdieu lists all these factors on the basis of which the various societies have been segregated however his main concern is in the segregation of society on the basis of power. It is to be noted that Bourdieu further uses the concept o f standard as well as correctness to define the power which the individuals hold over the other people (Bourdieu, 1998). In the opinion of Bourdieu various individuals use the concept of standard as well as correctness to justify their right to power as well as the use of it. It is to be noted that language plays an important role in this particular process as the rhetoric of language is often used by the people in power to justify their claim to power (Bourdieu, 1991). The four types of capital namely the economic, social and cultural are symbolic as they represent misrecognition of the concept of power. It is to be noted that people generally associate power with the amount of social, cultural as well as economic wealth without taking into consideration the true source of the power. It is to be noted that since the traditional times power is often held in high esteem by the various entities of the world. The people or the individuals who hold power generally use various concepts to justify their right to power. In the opinion of Bourdieu these people use the concepts of correctness, standard, legitimate variety and others to justify their right to power and also the power which they hold (Swartz, 2012). It is often seen that there is a misconception about the concepts of power and legitimacy. Many a time it is seen that the people in power use the construct of language to legitimize the power which they hold. Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes apparent that the theorist Bourdieu sees power as a means which has been used by the various individuals in such a manner to dominate the other individuals. It is to be noted that language plays a significant role in this particular process as the tool of language is often used by the various individuals to retain their power and also to justify their claim or right to power. Therefore, it would not be too far-fetched to say that both the concepts of power as well as language go hand in hand in the process of wielding of power. References Bourdieu, P. (1991).Language and symbolic power. Harvard University Press. Bourdieu, P. (1998).Practical reason: On the theory of action. Stanford University Press. Bourdieu, P. (1998).The state nobility: Elite schools in the field of power. Stanford University Press. Harker, R., Mahar, C., Wilkes, C. (Eds.). (2016).An introduction to the work of Pierre Bourdieu: The practice of theory. Springer. Jenkins, R. (2014).Pierre bourdieu. Routledge. Swartz, D. (2012).Culture and power: The sociology of Pierre Bourdieu. University of Chicago Press.