LANGUAGE, POWER, AND IDEOLOGY: A CONTEMPORARY THEORETICAL REVIEW OF SOCIOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Language is a central social resource through which individuals construct identities, negotiate social relationships, and reproduce cultural and political realities. Contemporary sociolinguistic scholarship increasingly recognizes that language is not merely a neutral medium of communication but a mechanism through which power relations and ideological structures are maintained and contested (Farhadytooli, 2025; Pham, 2025). This theoretical review examines the interconnected relationship between language, power, and ideology within sociolinguistic research by synthesizing recent studies conducted in media discourse, education, artificial intelligence, literature, and digital communication. Drawing upon Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Bernstein’s sociolinguistic theory, Bourdieu’s concept of linguistic capital, and Foucauldian discourse theory, the study explores how discourse contributes to the reproduction of social inequalities and the legitimization of dominant ideologies (Bustamante &Urrego, 2025; Massaad, 2025). The review further investigates how language functions simultaneously as a tool of domination and resistance, enabling both the maintenance and transformation of social structures. The findings suggest that language remains one of the most influential instruments through which power is exercised and social identities are negotiated across contemporary societies. The paper concludes that critical sociolinguistic awareness is essential for recognizing and challenging linguistic inequalities embedded within institutional, cultural, and technological contexts.