<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> The paper discusses the role of language in shaping social and political reality. Referring to the theory of the sociology of knowledge, symbolic interactionism and theory related to sociolinguistics, the author makes the assumption that language understood as a tool that assigns meaning and defines reality has a decisive influence on individual awareness and knowledge about reality, and simultaneously also on activities undertaken by individuals. Moreover, in the opinion of many theoreticians who represent the above disciplines of knowledge, the knowledge about reality transferred by means of language creates cognitive schemes in awareness through which an individual perceives and defines reality. In this sense it may be said that manipulation of images of reality through language is also a manipulation of social reality</p></abstract>

The paper discusses the role of language in shaping social and political reality. Referring to the theory of the sociology of knowledge, symbolic interactionism and theory related to sociolinguistics, the author makes the assumption that language understood as a tool that assigns meaning and defines reality has a decisive influence on individual awareness and knowledge about reality, and simultaneously also on activities undertaken by individuals. Moreover, in the opinion of many theoreticians who represent the above disciplines of knowledge, the knowledge about reality transferred by means of language creates cognitive schemes in awareness through which an individual perceives and defines reality. In this sense it may be said that manipulation of images of reality through language is also a manipulation of social reality

Language as a Tool Creating and Dividing Communities. Dangerous use of Asymmetric Counterconcepts

Institute of Applied Social Sciences, University of Warsaw, Nowy Świat 69, 00-927 Warsaw, Poland

Psychology of Language and Communication

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The paper discusses the role of language in shaping social and political reality. Referring to the theory of the sociology of knowledge, symbolic...

Language as a Tool Creating and Dividing Communities. Dangerous use of Asymmetric Counterconcepts

Published Online: May 02, 2014

Page range: 22 - 40

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/plc-2014-0002

Keywords
language, community, granfalloon, dogmatic narrations, asymmetric counterconcepts

© by Iwona Jakubowska-Branicka

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Language as a Tool Creating and Dividing Communities. Dangerous use of Asymmetric Counterconcepts

Published Online: May 02, 2014

Page range: 22 - 40

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/plc-2014-0002

Keywordslanguage, community, granfalloon, dogmatic narrations, asymmetric counterconcepts

© by Iwona Jakubowska-Branicka

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Keywords
language, community, granfalloon, dogmatic narrations, asymmetric counterconcepts