Mind your Language

“We’re destroying words—scores of them, hundreds of them, every day. We’re cutting the language down to the bone,” says Syme, a character in the book 1984 by George Orwell, as he explained about ‘Newspeak’, a language being devised to meet the ideological needs of IngSoc or English Socialism. Newspeak, as we find out, is the only language in the world whose vocabulary shrinks instead of being enriched with time.

All the words that are thought of being ‘unnecessary’ are removed, such as “Bad” being replaced by “Ungood” and “Dark” being replaced by “Unlight”. Words such as “free”, “honour”, “justice”, “morality”, and “democracy” were thought of as heretical and hence ceased to exist. Even if new words are introduced, they are for a political purpose, such as “Crimethink”, and “Doublespeak”. “The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect.”

Words, hence, are not just words but concepts. Words not only determine how we communicate, but also how we think. We cannot think without words, and if a control is imposed on what words we use and how, it is possible to control and even limit what we think.

“Language” acts as a powerful tool for shaping opinions, influencing perceptions, and framing narratives. The way political parties, media outlets, pressure groups and non-governmental organizations use language can have a significant impact on the public domain and can affect the political discourse.

In contemporary times,the intricate relationship between language and politics has reached its zenith, and language now is used as a strategic instrument to sway the masses and drive political agenda.

One of the ways by which language can be used to manipulate masses is through the “Framing effect”. Framing effect implies that the way you frame an argument, a fact, or a piece of information, can have an impact on how it is perceived. Framing effect is often used by political leaders to steer public opinion in a particular direction, where they portray themselves in a favorable light. For a long time, concentration camps were not known as concentration camps, but camps for “special treatment”. The political usage of the superior race theory shaped how people perceived each other, and helped the Nazis justify their oppression of the Jews.

For another example, during the times of election campaigns, contesting candidates employ the use of “positive framing” to highlight the work they have done and the policies they have made while using the “Negative framing” for the opposition parties. It is common to hear words such as ‘corruption’ and ‘dwindling economy’ and ‘unemployment’ to criticize the government. What is usually sold as ‘welfare economics’ by the government in the form of free education, health and amenities, is criticized by the opposition as ‘freebies’.

During India’s first war of independence in 1987, what the British referred to as “Sepoy Mutiny” was hailed by the Indian freedom freighters as the “Revolt of Independence”. Framing effect lies in whether it is to be called a “revolt” or a “mutiny”.

Using euphemisms like “interrogation techniques” instead of saying “torture” and the use of “collateral damage” instead of “civilian casualties” sanitizes the language used to describe controversial actions.

Language also shapes popular narratives. Narratives are overarching stories or themes that can influence or shape how people perceive events and issues. These political narratives are made by continuous and repeated use of specific phrases and slogans. These are usually catchy and easy to remember and recall. In India, for example, when relations were good with pre-1962 war China, a slogan that was popularized was “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai” (Indians and Chinese are brothers). “Make America Great Again” and “Take Back Control” are other such slogans.

Another example was the slogan of “Garibi Hatao, Desh Bachao” (Remove poverty and save the country) which was popularized by the then prime minister of India, Indra Gandhi, just before the 1971 elections, as a way of capturing public attention by passing on the message of the country's development under her Congress Party’s rule.

Manipulation and propaganda in politics can also be created through the use of Language. The Political actors may engage in deceptive rhetorics, euphemisms and can deceive the public. Following such methods, these people can undermine democratic principles like transparency and accountability.

Propagandistic language is used to distort facts and manipulate perceptions. This can range from subtle framing techniques to outright falsehoods propagated through various media channels. In authoritarian regimes, language manipulation is an indispensable tool in the hands of those in power. Once a ruling government establishes control over the media, the media is used as an instrument to control this ‘public language’ and to have control over the population.

Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels’ job was to portray a fair image of the Nazi regime to the German people. Hoisting the achievements of the Nazi party, creating narratives supporting and justifying government action, and creating a despicable image of the non-Aryans was part of this propaganda. A famous quote from Goebbels is “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”

In the modern age, in addition to media outlets, social media platforms have also become important tools for political narrative building and generating influence. Political leaders and interest groups make use of these social media platforms to disseminate their messages, and to shape narratives on the online realm.

On different social media platforms, leaders try to attract the public's attention and influence it to connect with voters, mobilize supporters, and shape public discourse by using methods such as hashtags, memes, and viral videos.

In general, language is an important fundamental aspect of politics that influences how issues are made, narratives are constructed, and opinions are generated. No matter how the language is used, whether to persuade the public or to deceitfully divide them, the power of words in shaping political discourse cannot be ignored. Leaders in power can use alarmist language to exaggerate threats and justify authoritarian measures.

Another important aspect of Language is how it influences policy making procedures. Policy debates are often looked upon from the viewpoint of how they are being communicated to the public. For instance, debates over immigration reforms will be central to how the immigrants are being portrayed, whether as “Illegal-Aliens” or  “undocumented migrants”, this shows how much influence language has on shaping policy priorities and public perceptions.

Language can be used as a tool to look at the same idea or event with different perspectives.  Words are powerful and play an important role in molding people’s mind in any desired direction.

Language can also be used for lightning the spirit of brotherhood, unity and nationalism among the masses. Historically speaking, political leaders have given speeches to sway the audience according to their own sweet will in their desired direction.

For instance, the most famous speech of Martin Luther King, “I Have a Dream”, included the use of powerful language to inspire the civil rights movement. Analogous to this was the speech of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru “Tryst with Destiny”. He famously said “When the world sleeps, India will awake to life and to freedom”. Such powerful language evokes motivation and trust.

Language also plays an important role in maintaining inclusivity and diversity in the realm of politics. At the same time if language of different linguistic regions is not represented equally, it can lead to discrimination, marginalization, and political distrust among the masses. Efforts like official language policies, language rights protection, contribute a lot towards a more inclusive political landscape. Terms such as “Unity in Diversity” and “Satyamev Jayate” (Truth alone triumphs) fulfill the positive function of uniting people.

Another important aspect of Language that is analyzed by the Psychologists around the world is how individuals understand language. Even small variations in language use might be correlated with the speaker's prejudiced opinions.

For example, even a seemingly innocuous statement like “girls are as good as boys at driving cars” might quietly reinforce sexist beliefs. The grammatical form of this statement suggests that arithmetic prowess is more prevalent or natural in guys than in girls. Thus, words have the unintentional power to shape our perception of the world.

In summary, the significance of language in politics cannot be emphasized enough. Language is a powerful tool of political influence, used to shape policy results, mobilize support, and frame political narratives. It is crucial for us to evaluate political actors' language critically, identify their persuasive strategies, and be aware of how language affects us and how we comprehend political issues as citizens and listeners to political discourse. By understanding the power of words, we can become more informed and discerning participants in the political process.

by: Rohan Qurashi is a student of Political Science and History at  St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. He writes on issues of Geopolitics and International affairs.