Book contents
- Language Politics and Policies
- Language Politics and Policies
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Contributor Personal Statements
- Introduction
- Part I Theoretical Orientations
- 1 The Liberal Tradition in America
- 2 The Political Ethics of Linguistic In-Betweenness
- 3 Alienation, Language Work, and the So-Called Commodification of Language
- 4 Canadian Language Politics in Global and Theoretical Contexts
- Part II The United States Context
- Part III The Canadian Context
- Index
- References
3 - Alienation, Language Work, and the So-Called Commodification of Language
from Part I - Theoretical Orientations
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 July 2019
Edited by
Book contents
- Language Politics and Policies
- Language Politics and Policies
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Contributor Personal Statements
- Introduction
- Part I Theoretical Orientations
- 1 The Liberal Tradition in America
- 2 The Political Ethics of Linguistic In-Betweenness
- 3 Alienation, Language Work, and the So-Called Commodification of Language
- 4 Canadian Language Politics in Global and Theoretical Contexts
- Part II The United States Context
- Part III The Canadian Context
- Index
- References
Summary
Contemporarily, economies are increasingly knowledge and service based, certainly in Canada and the United States. These services always implicate the necessity of language, and this is especially true in language-based service such as the work in call centers. This has led to the claim that language has been "commodified." This chapter examines the notion of the commodification of language. The argument is that if language and language practices must be analyzed through the language of commodification, then it is more productive to understand language as a fictitious commodity: something that is not produced or that does not exist for consumption through the market. Ultimately, what is referred to as the commodification of language is actually the commodification of labor, which should direct our concerns toward exploitation and alienation, not commodification.
Keywords
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- Chapter
- Information
- Language Politics and PoliciesPerspectives from Canada and the United States, pp. 60 - 77Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019
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