In his essay “Invisible Technologies,”, Neil Postman argues and exemplifies how language acts as an ideology in shaping the way people perceive and understand the world around them. One important form of linguistic manipulation which has an influence on human perceptions is euphemisms. Postman argues that “[language] instructs us not only in the names of things but, more important, in what things can be named” (Postman , 187), and this directly relates to the function euphemistic language holds in society. Euphemisms enable the same term to have different names, and thus different connotations, affecting people’s perceptions of the term and its meaning. By covering and masking terms that have negative connotations, euphemistic language alters the nuances associated with those terms and therefore also the related social views and attitudes . Thus euphemisms generally seem to surface from a cultural need to neutralize terms that have provocative or negative undertones. The simplest example of this is the use of “powder room” as opposed to “bathroom,”, or in the same context, “tinkl...
The language has been used in writing before and many books use this type of language so they can build a connection to the real world. It is vital for teens especially in 8th grade and above to learn how important it is to stray away from these potentially hurtful words and how this type of language can set a certain tone to a
In Invisible Man, there are many instances in which rhetorical questions are brought up and one of these cases was when the narrator hears about the situation up in Harlem and asks to himself “What was happening uptown? Why should I worry over bureaucrats, blind men? I am invisible” (Ellison 528). The narrator believes that his invisibility has detached him for situations that were occurring at that time, so his responsibilities would not include having to fix or find out what was happening in Harlem. The rhetorical questioning shows that the narrator is coming to the realization that his invisibility is what makes him, him. After countless situations of being overlooked and ignored in decisions or discussions, the invisible man is able to
Receiving the opportunity to check one of my completed compositions created leverage to strengthen elements of my oeuvre. This reflection consists of a process of dissection, scrutiny, and close reassessment. As a writer in the editing and revision stage, I examined particular features throughout my essay including background information about the topic, credible evidence to support overall claims, and grammar and sentence structure.
There are many reasons why people use euphemism as mentioned by William Lutz in “The world of Doublespeak” states that “euphemism is an inoffensive or positive word or phrase used to avoid the harsh, unpleasant, or distasteful reality” (390). However as mentioned by Lutz in “The world of doublespeak” when a euphemism is used to mislead or deceive, it becomes doublespeak” (391). For example instead of saying we killed three people they would use the phrase we exterminated three intruders to mislead and confuse people especially the uneducated. Also as stated by William Lutz in “The World of Doublespeak” indicates that “when you use a euphemism because of your sensitivity for someone’s feelings or for a recognized social or cultural taboo, it is not doublespeak” (390). For instance, imagine someone told you I heard your grandpa died that would sound harsh, but if someone said I heard your grandpa passed away that sounds more respectable which is not considered doublespeak. Lutz finds the People who are responsible for euphemism doublespeak tend to be people that try to cover up the unpleasant, which are mainly the government, armies and the news. Next as stated by Lutz “it is a language designed to alter our perception of reality”
A disregard for social consequences: Social constructivist writing explains how technologies come to be, however it ignores the consequences of technologies and the impac...
"TV's Most Offensive Words | Media | MediaGuardian." Latest News, Comment and Reviews from the Guardian | Guardian.co.uk. 25 Nov. 2005. Web. Dec. 2010. .
Eli Clare in Freaks and Queers observes how individuals use certain words to reaffirm their identities and also distinguish themselves from the rest of society. Being a disabled transman, Clare mentions various words, like handicapped, cripple (crip), gimp, amongst others, which have come to be accepted by the disabled community. He says, “cripple makes me flinch…but I love crip humor, the audacity of turning cripple into a word of pride” (p. 83). Some of these words, like queer for the LGBT community, are used as a means of agency and community for minority groups. But he also turns to the ugly side of language, which can be used to decrease and erase the worth of an individual. He mentions his discomfort with the word ‘freak’ and how
Robin Lakoff is a linguistics professor at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of The Language War. She published an article in The New York Times on May 18, 2044 titled, “From Ancient Greece to Iraq, the Power of Words in Wartime.” Her purpose for writing the article was to give a snippet from her book, in which argues that the usage of nicknames makes it easier for someone to kill another human being because it makes them appear to be inferior. Lakoff uses example such as, “In World War I, the British gave the Germans the nickname “Jerries” (Lakoff 15). Therefore, it makes it easier for soldiers to kill their enemies.
Euphemisms are essential to today’s society. People use euphemism for multiple reasons; death in the family, cancer, or being fired. Euphemisms can ease the blow of a conversation but they can also offend people. I will be writing about my most hated euphemism: the big C-cancer! This euphemism caught my attention because I recently when through a loss to cancer. I hate when people say the big C. it’s insensitive.
As an engaging cultural critic, professor at New York University, and author of numerous books on the themes of education and technology, Neil Postman is well positioned to comment on the relation of technology to culture. The relation as he sees it is one in which culture is subservient to and controlled by both invisible (I.Q. scores, statistics, polling techniques) and visible (television, computers, automobiles) technologies. Technology, Postman admits, is a friend but mostly it is a dangerous enemy that intrudes into a culture, changing everything, while destroying the vital sources of our humanity.
George Orwell’s essay, Politics and the English Language, first published in 1946, talks about some “bad habits”, which have driven the English language in the wrong direction, that is, away from communicating ideas. In his essay he quotes five passages, each from a different author, which embody the faults he is talking about. He lists dying metaphors, operators, pretentious diction, and meaningless words as things to look out for in your own writing and the writing of others (593-595). He talks about political uses of the English language. Our language has become ugly and the ugliness impedes upon communication. Ugly uses of language have been reinforced and passed down in the population “even among people who should and do know better,” (598). Ugly language has been gaining ground in our population by a positive feedback mechanism.
This essay will examine and explore the question “Do euphemisms change the way we think about the topics they are describing?” The second part of the essay will discuss this topic in relation to a set of terms I encounter in everyday life. So to answer the first question, my response is yes. This essay will examine and explore the meaning of euphemism, why it is used and how it has become part of Australian culture. By its very definition the word euphemism means “the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant” (Merriam-Webster, 2015).
...Giver” that hide their true meaning. Release distorts its true meaning of death. Assignment conceals its true implication of job and stirrings actually mean puberty. All three words in some way or another affect people’s behaviour and how they may view a situation. Even a world where precise language is viewed as very important, there still are words that are used to promote the ideals of the government and keep the truth from people. In a world where people are pressured into using precise language to prevent any misconceptions and misunderstandings, the government makes words that cloak the true definition so the public does not find out their true intentions, which is to control their behaviour. Language may be used as a tool to help communicate with others, but when used improperly, people will be deceived and ultimately be living a life of lies and illusion.
We live in a world where any type of swearing or cursing is ubiquitous. It is almost impossible to not hear a swear word when in public places or even at home. Not much can be done about the swearing situation as it is sometimes seen as a rebellious act or as an intensifier that adds no meaning but adds an “emotional punch” to any utterance. Swear words, especially the “F-word” and words involving sexual terms or racial slurs are looked down on. People using swear words are seen as uneducated, vulgar or low class people. Swear words are often attached to stereotypes when it comes down to who swears the most between men and women and gender roles come into play here. This will be explained and described further into the essay. Many people get offended by swear words, no matter what age, but that is because everyone has a different offensiveness threshold. One word that is offensive to one person may be the word used regularly by another person.
There are not many taboo words or expressions that offend me, however, I realized that there is a word that I do not like saying and, for some reason, cringe when I hear others say the word. Some people have argued with me that it is not a swear word because it is a medical term, but penis is not a word that I would want children casually throwing around, and therefore I consider it a taboo word. Jay claims that clinical terms seem too formal and do not evoke deeper emotional reactions that slang and obscenity do (2003); however, I argue that we find other ways of letting kids express that they need to use the bathroom without using the medical term, including pee pee or wee wee, and therefore it has some taboo quality to it. This word falls under either the category of taboo word “bodily effluvia/organs” or “sexuality” (Hutchins, 2015). The categories are fuzzy, and in this case, I find that I am more repulsed by a word that