A STUDY OF AMERICAN ENGLISH, POWER, AND IDENTITY: FORMULATION, DISSEMINATION, AND LANGUAGE AS POWER

Authors

Keywords:

American English, Power, Soft Power, Dissemination

Abstract

Language is closely linked to power, ideologies, and national interests. Language operates as a cultural instrument that is neither neutral nor transparent, and is used by communities to construct identity and legitimize dominance. The evolution and international spread of American English clearly illustrate this relationship. Due to initial opposition to British rule, American English was defined by a culture of independence, nationalism, and self-reliance. Between 1860 and 1900, the United States became economically powerful, gaining political influence that translated into military strength and technological innovation, thereby enabling its language to spread worldwide. In addition to becoming a tool of global communication, American English has rapidly evolved into a mechanism of soft power and cultural hegemony. Given the rapid progression of cultural globalization, understanding how globalization contributes to linguistic homogenization and how it shapes the way people communicate and perceive themselves has become increasingly important. This study investigates the relationship between power and language within the context of American English. The sociopolitical forces that have shaped American English are also examined. The study further explores the processes through which American English has become popular nationally and internationally.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Dahl, R. A. (1957). The concept of power. Behavioral Science, 2(3), 201–215. https://doi.org/10.1002/bs.3830020303

J. S. Nye (2004). Soft power: The means to success in world politics. Public Affairs.

Humboldt, W. (1988). On language: The diversity of human language-structure and its influence on the mental development of mankind (P. Heath, Trans.). Cambridge University Press. (Original work published in 1836)

Palmer, L. R. (1976). An introduction to Indo-European languages, Cambridge University Press.

Shen, X. (2001). Language and ideology. Beijing University Press.

Witherspoon, J. (1781). On the American pronunciation. Pennsylvania Journal.

Rush, B. (1798). Essays, literary, moral, and philosophical. Thomas and William Bradford.

Webster, N. (1789). Dissertations on the English language by Isaiah Thomas

Webster, N. (1828). An American dictionary of the English language. S. Converse.

Mencken, H. L. (1919). The American language: An inquiry into the development of English in the United States. Alfred A. Knopf.

J. Aitchison, 2001. Language change: Progress or decay? Cambridge University Press.

Li, S. (1983). International education in the United States: Trends and statistics. Journal of Higher Education, 54(3), 251–266.

Jay, J. (1787). The Federalist No. 2: Concerning dangers from foreign force and influence. New York Packet

Child, B. (1998). Boarding school seasons: American Indian families, 1900–1940. University of Nebraska Press.

Zhang, B. (2017). Language and power: An insight into American English dissemination. International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 7(10), 274–280. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijssh.2017.7.10.905

Hagège, C. (2009). On the death and life of languages (J. H. L. Feise, Trans.). Yale University Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and symbolic power (G. Raymond & M. Adamson, Trans.). Harvard University Press.

Hagège, C. (2000). The dialogue of languages. Oxford University Press.

Published

2025-12-16

How to Cite

Alper, D. (2025). A STUDY OF AMERICAN ENGLISH, POWER, AND IDENTITY: FORMULATION, DISSEMINATION, AND LANGUAGE AS POWER. International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 9(3). Retrieved from https://www.sciencescholar.us/journal/index.php/ijssh/article/view/15843

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 3 (2025): December

Section

Research Articles
Copyright & Licensing

Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Articles published in the International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (IJSSH) are available under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives Licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Authors retain copyright in their work and grant IJSSH right of first publication under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Users have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles in this journal, and to use them for any other lawful purpose.

Articles published in IJSSH can be copied, communicated and shared in their published form for non-commercial purposes provided full attribution is given to the author and the journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.

This copyright notice applies to articles published in IJSSH volumes 4 onwards. Please read about the copyright notices for previous volumes under Journal History.