The Force of Language

'This is an absorbing and brilliant book, original in its form and far-reaching in its theoretical ambition. Writing in counter-point, Riley and Lecercle propose another philosophy of language, one that displaces the familiar but increasingly unproductive dichotomy between language as inner speech (subjectivity) and language as external system (langue). In erudite, witty, and cunning prose, the authors elegantly put flesh on the bones of the claim that language is a social praxis, specifically, a praxis of affect and force. The radical challenge their arguments present to the stale theoretical consensus on what language is will resonate through linguistics, the philosophy of language and cultural studies.' - Professor Ellen Rooney, Department of Modern Culture and Media, Brown University, USA