Reading: Advanced Textual Analysis: C1 Lesson 1: Analyzing How Language is Used to Position the Reader

Reading: Advanced Textual Analysis

C1 Lesson 1: Analyzing How Language is Used to Position the Reader

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The Author's Relationship with You

As a C1-level critical reader, you must understand that writing is never truly neutral. Every author makes deliberate language choices to guide your thinking and feelings. This is called Reader Positioning¹.

An author can position you as an insider who shares their values or as an outsider. Today, we will analyze the powerful effect of inclusive language² (`we`, `us`) versus exclusive language³ (`they`, `them`).

Part 1: Key Techniques for Positioning the Reader

• Inclusive Language (`we`, `our`, `us`): This creates a sense of shared identity, values, and responsibility. It makes the reader feel they are on the same team as the author.
• Exclusive Language (`they`, `them`, `those people`): This creates distance. It constructs an "us vs. them" dynamic, often positioning the other group as a problem or an outside threat.
• Rhetorical Questions⁴ & Assumed Shared Knowledge⁵: The author asks questions they don't expect an answer to, or makes statements that assume the reader already agrees with their values (e.g., "Surely, we all agree that...").

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Practice Analyzing a Persuasive Text

Let's deconstruct this editorial about development in Kampot to see how the author positions the reader.

Protecting Our Kampot: A Call to the Community

Are we going to be the generation that lets the soul of Kampot be sold to the highest bidder? Every day, we see the changes. Giant, impersonal hotel blocks rise up, casting a shadow over the small, family-run guesthouses that gave our town its unique charm. They arrive with their big development plans, promising "progress," but their version of progress seems to ignore the very things that make us special.

Surely, we all agree that the quiet beauty of the riverfront is more valuable than another generic coffee shop. This isn't about stopping development; it's about what kind of future we choose for ourselves. Will we prioritize the needs of short-term tourists over the long-term well-being of our own community? This is a question we must all answer.

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Guided Analysis

• Use of Inclusive Language: The author relentlessly uses `we`, `our`, and `us`. This is a powerful technique to make the reader feel like part of the Kampot community, sharing the same values and facing the same problem. You are positioned as an insider.
• Use of Exclusive Language: The developers are only referred to as `they` and `their`. This creates a clear "us vs. them" divide, positioning the developers as an outside force that does not share "our" values.
• Use of Assumed Shared Values: The phrase "Surely, we all agree..." assumes that the reader already accepts that "quiet beauty" is more important than a "generic coffee shop." This pressures the reader to agree to be part of the "in-group."
• Overall Effect: The author isn't just making an argument; they are building a team and making the reader feel like a valued member. The language is designed to create a sense of unity and shared urgency against an external threat.

Your Turn! Deconstruct the Positioning.

Practice Quiz

Read this short excerpt from a company manager's speech to his employees.

"I know that some of our competitors have been trying to hire our best people. They think they can weaken us by stealing our talent. But they underestimate our loyalty. We are not just a company; we are a team. We will face this challenge together and prove that our spirit is stronger than their money."

What is the primary way this manager positions the employees?

• A. By using neutral, objective language to describe a business problem.
• B. By using inclusive language (`we`, `us`, `our`) and exclusive language (`they`, `their`) to create a sense of a loyal team ("us") fighting an outside enemy ("them").
• C. By using many facts and statistics to appeal to logic.

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Answer: B. The manager uses "we/us" to create unity with the employees and "they/their" to portray the competitors as a hostile, outside force, positioning the employees to feel loyal and part of a team.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Reader Positioning (noun phrase)
   ភាសាខ្មែរ: ការកំណត់ទីតាំងអ្នកអាន
   The way an author uses language to guide the reader into adopting a particular viewpoint or identity in relation to the text. ↩ back to text
2. Inclusive Language (noun phrase)
   ភាសាខ្មែរ: ភាសារួម
   Words like 'we', 'us', and 'our' that create a sense of shared identity and values between the author and reader. ↩ back to text
3. Exclusive Language (noun phrase)
   ភាសាខ្មែរ: ភាសាផ្តាច់មុខ
   Words like 'they' and 'them' that create a conceptual distance between one group and another. ↩ back to text
4. Rhetorical Question (noun phrase)
   ភាសាខ្មែរ: សំណួវោហាសាស្ត្រ
   A question asked for effect to make a point, rather than to get an actual answer. ↩ back to text
5. Assumed Shared Knowledge (noun phrase)
   ភាសាខ្មែរ: ចំណេះដឹងទូទៅដែលគេសន្មត់
   Values or information the author assumes the reader already possesses or agrees with. ↩ back to text

Homework Task

Analyze a Political Speech!

Find the transcript of a political speech in English online. Read one or two paragraphs carefully.

1. Who is the "in-group" (`we`/`us`) that the speaker is trying to create?
2. Is there an "out-group" (`they`/`them`)? Who are they?
3. Write down two specific examples of inclusive or exclusive language that the speaker uses to position their audience.