TaK - Language

Some TaK questions:

• How does language shape human thought?• How does it influence what we know and

how we know it?• Does language assist or limit our search for

knowledge and truth?• If people speak more than one language, is

what they know different in each language?

TaK - Language

• Problems of meaning

• Language changing

• Language used to influence and persuade.

TaK - Language

“In the beginning was the Word...”

TaK - Language

Problems of meaning• Vagueness: fast, slow, nice, bald• Ambiguity:

“Refuse to be put in the basket”, “Flying planes can be dangerous”, “Eats, shoots and leaves”

• Secondary meaning: love, death, school, priest• Metaphor:

“She has her head in the clouds”, “My brother is a butcher”, “My doctor is a butcher”

• Irony:“Nice weather!”

TaK - Language

Vagueness

Say a word that most in the group will have some familiarity with.

Each person describe what the word stirred them to think of...

TaK - Language

Vagueness

Without thinking about it too much, write down a figure for each of the following:

• He lives close to his school. How near does he live?

• She is a heavy smoker. How many cigarettes does she smoke each day?

• He is middle-aged. How old is he?

• Her mother earns a lot of money. What is her annual income?

TaK - Language

Changing language Language reflects our changing world.

• Gender issues• Political correctness• Technology• Slang• International travel• Internet + media

TaK - Language

Margaret Atwood: “There was once”

• What does the conversation tell us about the opening phrase, “There was once a poor girl, as beautiful as she was good, who lived with her wicked stepmother in a house in the forest”?

• What sort of things does the second speaker object to?

• What is the principle behind the objections?

• Is the principle reasonable?

• What can we learn about language from this dialogue?

TaK - Language

Language used to influence and persuade

Propaganda and manipulation through language using:

• Emotionally laden words• Weasel words• Grammar• Revealing and concealing

TaK - Language

Emotionally laden words:

• Terrorist / Freedom fighter• Pro-life / Pro-choice• Free speech / Hate speech• “Blocking your child’s access to

objectionable material on the internet is not called Censorship – it’s called Parenting” Al Gore

TaK - LanguageWe have:

army, navy and airforcereporting guidelinespress briefings

They have:a war machinecensorshippropaganda

We launch:first strikespre-emptively

They launch:sneak missile attackswithout provocation

We:suppressneutralisedig in

They:destroykillcower

Our soldiers are:boyscautiousconfidentloyalresolutebrave

Their soldiers are:hordescowardlydesperateblindly obedientruthlessfanatical

George Bush is:at peace with himselfresolutestatesmanlikeassured

Saddam Hussein is:dementeddefiantan evil tyranta crackpot monster

These are all expressions used by

the British press while covering the First Gulf War…

TaK - Language

Weasel Words:

• “many”,“ should”, “probably”• “Probably the best lager in the world”• “Our product can reduce wrinkles by 25%”

TaK - Language

Grammar:

“We bombed many villages”“Many villages were bombed”

TaK - Language

Revealing and Concealing:

“I have invited an attractive blonde to the party”“I have invited a cellist to the party”“I have invited my sister to the party”“I have invited a marathon runner to the party”“I have invited a lesbian to the party”“I have invited my best friend to the party”

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at a Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr teh ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and yuo can

sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae teh huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but

teh wrod as a wlohe.

TaK - Language

Some key points:

• A great deal of knowledge comes through language and this makes possible an intellectual division of labour

• Language is a sub-set of communication and is rule-governed, intended and creative

• We need to understand what a sentence means before we decide whether it’s true or false

• Much of language is ambiguous and open to interpretation

• We use language to label and classify. This brings with it the danger of misclassification and stereotyping

• We use language not only to describe, but also to influence and persuade

TaK - Language

Some more questions:

• How does language influence your perception?• How can you make sure you have understood a

message that is conveyed to you?• What arguments are there for and against political

correctness?• What kinds of texts are easiest to translate? Which

are the most difficult?

TaK - Language

Language

PerceptionHow does

language affect the way we see

things?

ReligionDoes religious experience lie

beyond language?

EthicsShould offensive

language be censored?

ArtsIs art the

language of the emotions? History

Is it possible to describe events in an unbiased way?

Human SciencesIs language

unique to human beings?

MathsHow is

mathematics likea language?

Natural SciencesWhat role do

metaphors play in science?

TaK - Language

TaK - Language