History and language: Towards a social account of linguistic change

Abstract

By examining such institution-specific documents as job and promotion applications, popular histories of the white settlement/invasion of Australia, radio interviews and conference proceedings, Kress shows how both the social and linguistic spheres are always doubly in play in any interaction, with neither one being necessarily priviledged. Relying on Halliday's theorisation of linguistic function and social structure, Kress shows how given meaning potentials in any situation are at least partially pliable by individual participants, even though the social tends to carry a corresponding disproportionate weight.