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The Language of Democratization: Roles, Social Positions, and Discourse book cover

1st Edition

The Language of Democratization Roles, Social Positions, and Discourse

Edited By Svenja Kranich, Simone Knewitz, Daniela Pirazzini, Hanna Bruns Copyright 2026
266 Pages 14 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

266 Pages 14 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
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... Read more

List of Contributors

 

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 gatekeeping 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 and diversity, equality, and inclusion 

Imke Lichterfeld

 

Index

 

Biography

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.

 

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