Made2Master Digital School — English

Part 5 A — The Linguistics of Power: How Language Constructs Hierarchy and Liberation

Edition 2026–2036 · Track: English as Cognitive Architecture · Focus: Power, Class, Liberation & System Language

1. Power Hides in the Sentence

Power often doesn’t announce itself with shouting. It hides in:

• Who gets named and who is kept vague.
• Who is the subject of the sentence and who is the object.
• Whether something “just happened” or someone did it.

Compare:

• “The rules were broken.” (by who?)
• “We broke the rules.” (responsibility visible)

The first sentence protects someone; the second exposes ownership. This is the core idea of this track:

Language is not neutral. It quietly distributes blame, dignity, and control.

2. Who Gets to Name Things?

The power to name is the power to define reality. If you can name something, you can:

• Make it seem normal (“That’s just how business works.”).
• Make it seem deviant (“That’s unprofessional behaviour.”).
• Make it seem invisible (never naming it at all).

Notice how different labels shape the same behaviour:

• “He’s assertive.” vs “She’s aggressive.”
• “They’re passionate.” vs “They’re emotional.”
• “Whistle-blower” vs “troublemaker.”

In families, workplaces, and media, certain groups are allowed to name and others are forced to accept. Critical English means quietly asking:

“Who got to pick these words? Who would describe this differently?”

3. Grammar as a Power Tool: Active, Passive & Erasure

Power loves the passive voice because it lets actions float free of accountability:

“Mistakes were made.” “Your application was not successful.” “Some policies were breached.”

Stronger, more honest versions:

“We made mistakes.” “We did not accept your application.” “Our team breached several policies.”

When you read, ask:

• Who is the subject here?
• Could this sentence be active instead of passive?
• What would change emotionally if it were?

This simple habit turns you into a quiet power analyst in any language environment.

4. Registers: How Class & Power Speak Different Englishes

There is no single “proper English.” There are registers — varieties used in different contexts:

• Boardroom English.
• Street English.
• Academic English.
• Legal, medical, and bureaucratic English.

Systems often reward people who can speak the dominant register and punish those who can’t, even if their ideas are stronger. A key Made2Master skill is register agility:

• Translating street clarity into boardroom language without losing truth.
• Translating complex policy into human language without losing accuracy.
• Knowing when staying in your natural voice is a statement of dignity, not a “failure.”

Linguistic power is not pretending to be someone else; it’s having range without losing self-respect.

5. Politeness, Deference & “Soft Power” Speech

Politeness can be genuine respect. It can also be enforced deference. Notice the difference between:

• “Would you be able to do this when you have a moment?” (respect for time)
• “Sorry, I just wanted to quickly ask if maybe you could possibly…” (shrinking yourself)

People lower in a hierarchy often learn to over-apologise and over-hedge to stay safe:

“Sorry, this might be a stupid question, but…” “I know you’re really busy, it’s probably not important, but…”

Liberation at the linguistic level looks like:

• Dropping apologies that aren’t needed.
• Asking clear questions without self-attack.
• Keeping kindness while removing self-erasure.

Politeness doesn’t have to mean powerlessness.

6. Dehumanisation: When Language Turns People into Objects or Problems

One of the most dangerous uses of language is dehumanisation: talking about people as if they are objects, data points, or threats.

Watch for phrases like:

• “These people.” (lumps everyone into one vague group)
• “Numbers,” “units,” “cases,” “headcount” when referring to human beings.
• “Collateral damage” instead of “people who were killed.”

Often the goal is to create emotional distance so actions feel easier to justify. Liberation language does the opposite: it quietly re-humanises:

• Using names and specific stories instead of just statistics.
• Saying “people living with X” instead of “X patients” when appropriate.
• Bringing verbs back: “We decided,” “They were forced,” “Someone chose this.”

7. Liberation Language: How Words Can Return Dignity

Liberation language is not about perfect terminology. It’s about dignity and agency.

It often includes:

• Describing people as subjects of their own sentences, not just objects of other people’s actions.
• Acknowledging context instead of labelling character (“overwhelmed” vs “lazy,” “uninformed” vs “stupid”).
• Holding boundaries without humiliation (“This doesn’t work for us” vs “You’re a problem.”).

At its highest level, liberation language allows truth and accountability while refusing shame as a tool.

8. AI, Algorithms & the New Gatekeepers of Language

Today, power over language isn’t only held by governments, schools, or media. It’s also held by:

• Search engines deciding which words appear first.
• Social platforms deciding which phrases get reach or get suppressed.
• AI systems trained on past language patterns that may include bias.

This means two things:

• Your language is being scored and sorted beyond your awareness.
• You can choose to feed these systems with more humane, precise, and liberating patterns.

Being conscious of this doesn’t mean living in fear; it means seeing yourself as an active contributor to the linguistic future.

9. Transformational Prompts — Power & Liberation Lab (10-Year Future-Proof)

These prompts are designed to work with any advanced AI system for years. They train you to see how power flows through language — and how to redirect it toward fairness without losing clarity.

Prompt 1 — Power Scan on a Policy or Email

Act as my Linguistics of Power Analyst. 1) I will paste a policy, email, or announcement. 2) Highlight where passive voice, vague subjects, or abstractions hide responsibility or impact. 3) Rewrite key sentences to make power and responsibility clearer while remaining professional. 4) Briefly explain how each rewrite changes the emotional experience for the reader.

Prompt 2 — Register Translation (Street ↔ Formal)

Act as my Register Translator. 1) I will write a paragraph in my natural voice (street, casual, or dialect). 2) Translate it into a version that would be respected in a formal or institutional context, without erasing my core meaning or personality. 3) Show me side by side how word choice, grammar and tone shift between registers. 4) Explain how I can move between these registers intentionally, depending on the audience and stakes.

Prompt 3 — Dehumanisation Detector & Re-Humaniser

Act as my Dehumanisation Detector. 1) I will paste a paragraph from news, corporate communication, or my own writing. 2) Point out any phrases that reduce people to numbers, labels, or vague groups. 3) Suggest alternative wording that keeps accuracy but restores human specificity and dignity. 4) Help me create a short checklist I can use to avoid unintentional dehumanising language in future.

Prompt 4 — Liberation Language Rewrite for Myself

Act as my Internal Liberation Language Coach. 1) I will paste sentences I often say to myself when I make mistakes or feel small. 2) Analyse how these sentences distribute blame, shame, and power inside my own mind. 3) Rewrite them into versions that keep honesty and accountability but remove humiliation and hopelessness. 4) Help me craft a personal “language of self-respect” statement I can revisit when I’m under pressure.

10. Closing — Seeing Power, Choosing Language

Power will always flow through language. That part doesn’t change. What can change is your awareness and your choices.

With this module, you are learning to:

• Notice when sentences are hiding responsibility.
• Notice when class and culture are being policed via “proper English.”
• Notice when language is shrinking someone’s humanity — including your own.

From there, you can start to:

• Speak in ways that are honest but not cruel.
• Write in ways that are professional but not dehumanising.
• Design scripts, policies, and content that hold power responsibly.

That is the heart of the linguistics of power: not just understanding who has it — but using your own words as a tool for clarity, dignity, and a quieter kind of liberation.

Apply It Now (5 minutes)

1. One action: What will you do in 5 minutes that reflects this essay? (write 1 sentence)
2. When & where: If it’s [time] at [place], I will [action].
3. Proof: Who will you show or tell? (name 1 person)

You are my Micro-Action Coach. Based on this essay’s theme, ask me:
1) My 5-minute action,
2) Exact time/place,
3) A friction check (what could stop me? give a tiny fix),
4) A 3-question nightly reflection.
Then generate a 3-day plan and a one-line identity cue I can repeat.

🧠 AI Processing Reality… Commit now, then come back tomorrow and log what changed.