LANGUAGE STRUCTURES OUR EXPERIENCE. . .

Although this is not a new idea I am not sure how often we think about just how powerfully language does, indeed, help (directly and indirectly) structure our experience.

When I drive to my daughter’s home the majority of my 20 mile trip takes place on an interstate. When I exit the interstate I make a right-hand turn. If I were to make a left-hand turn I would soon come upon what I would call a ‘truck-stop.’ Today, however, they are not called ‘truck-stops’ – today they are called ‘travel-plazas.’ ‘Truck-Stops’ conjure up images of burly guys sitting around eating greasy foods, talking to one another in a special language and telling certain types of stories and jokes. Not very ‘family friendly.’ ‘Travel-Plazas’ invite all travelers and the mini-marts connected to them offer many distractions for a weary family. They have ‘food courts’ and ‘diners.’ Some are so large that they are more ‘attractions’ than a simple oasis for gas hungry vehicles and food hungry travelers.

Here is another example: Most folks would agree that lying on a job application is unethical, if not immoral. Recently I was reading an essay by a ‘well-known’ management guru (whose name I will not reveal). He downplayed ‘lying’ on one’s resume by calling it ‘resume enhancement’ instead. Or consider this: ‘Global Warming’ is reframed as ‘Climate Change’ (which we in Indiana like for it means we might have warmer winters). ‘Climate Change’ is certainly less threatening than ‘Global Warming.’ Then there was the political advisor to a politician who attributed the loss of the campaign to ‘linguistic sloppiness.’

One of my all-time favorite comedians was, and continues to be, George Carlin. He reminds us how silly our choice of words can be (although we laugh when he informs us or reminds us as to how silly our word choice is we still continue to construct and use silly language). Here are some of my favorites (thanks George): free gift, money-back refund, added bonus, future plans, new tradition and jumbo shrimp (some would also add: business ethics).

I was recently spending time waiting for my car to be serviced. Attached to the service bay was the new car show room. I purchased my car from this dealership seven years ago and when I have ‘routine service’ done on my car I generally seek out the general manager and we chat a bit. During my last visit he was showing me a few of the new models for 2016. He stopped by one SUV and began to laugh. He was looking at the sticker that listed both the ‘This comes with’ and the ‘Extras’ for this SUV. He pointed out a phrase and then I laughed. My car came with a number of air bags. This SUV was equipped with a special ‘impact management system.’

Language structures our experience because language has power. These words I’ve shared with you are not simply euphemisms. There are core serious beliefs and values which mark the different usages of these words and phrases: Employees are no longer ‘fired’ they are ‘separated from their work.’ There is less guilt involved in re-engineering than in ‘laying off’ workers.

Language is NOT morally neutral, the words we use provide us an insight into our beliefs and values. I will leave us with another of my favorites from George Carlin: He told the story of about how one day he was driving along in his car and another car ran a red-light and hit his car. They ended up in court. George’s attorney claimed that what occurred was not an ‘accident’ it was, rather, ‘premeditated carelessness.’ Talk about language structuring the experience…