By: E. Michele Ramsey, Ph.D.
Penn State Berks, Reading, PA
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
- Understand the power of language to define our world and our relationship to the world
- Choose language that positively impacts the ability to inform and persuade
- Choose language to create a clear and vivid message
- Use language that is ethical and accurate
- Use language to enhance his or her speaker credibility
Chapter Outline
- Introduction
- The Power of Language
- Communication vs. Language
- Language Creates Social Reality
- The Differences Language Choices Can Make
- Constructing Clear and Vivid Messages
- Use Simple Language
- Use Concrete and Precise Language
- Using Stylized Language
- Metaphors and Similes
- Alliteration
- Antithesis
- Parallel Structure and Language
- Personalized Language
- The Importance of Ethical and Accurate Language
- Language and Ethics
- Sexist and Heterosexist Language
- Avoiding Language Pitfalls
- Profanity
- Exaggeration
- Powerless Language
- Incorrect Grammar
- Other Language Choices to Consider
- Cliches
- Language that is Central to Popular Culture
- Conclusion
- Review Questions and Activities
- Glossary
- References
Your purpose is to make your audience see what you saw, hear what you heard, feel what you felt. Relevant detail, couched in concrete, colorful language, is the best way to recreate the incident as it happened and to picture it for the audience. – Dale Carnegie
The Power of Language
Imagine for a moment that you were asked to list everything that you know about the country of Italy in spite of the fact that you have never actually visited the country. What would you write? So, for example, you might recall that in geography class you learned particular things about Italy. You might also recall the various movies you’ve seen that were either supposedly set in Italy or dealt with some element of what has been deemed by the film as “Italian culture.” Those movies could include The Godfather, The Italian Job, or The DaVinci Code. You might think about stories your Italian grandmother told you about her childhood spent in Rome or remember images you have seen in history books about World War II. In other words, throughout your life you have learned a lot of different things that you now assume to be true about this country called “Italy” and you’ve learned all of these things about Italy through language, whether it be through verbal storytelling or through your interpretation of images in a book or on a screen. Now, consider for a moment the possibility that everything you’ve heard about Italy has been incorrect. Since you have not ever actually been to the country and had first-hand experience with its geography and culture, for example, how would you know if what you’ve been told is true or not?
Language is one of the most influential and powerful aspects of our daily lives and yet very few people pay attention to it in their interpersonal and public commu