ABSTRACT
Berger and Luckmann acknowledge the power of symbolic systems, and especially language, in the social construction of reality. Language provides labels for the objects which a culture has determined are relevant to its functioning: the existence of linguistic signs ensures the identity of the objects. Furthermore, because language is a systematic code and not just a random list of labels, it facilitates the storage and the transmission of concepts. Finally, since language is used in interaction between people as well as being a form of knowledge possessed by people, concepts can be negotiated in communication between people. A major attraction of linguistic criticism is that it offers precise, potentially formal, descriptions of patterns of language: it differs in this respect from various less plausible existing alternatives, including content analysis and impressionistic practical criticism. Impersonality also arises from the avoidance of any explicit command structure: there are no requests or imperatives.
