Unspeak

I’ve long been fascinated by the use of language to influence. Probably because, growing up, I became aware of the dissonances implicit in phrases such as "homosexual lifestyle" or "sexual preference" (as though I chose to be gay) or the none-too-subtle putdowns in adjectives associated with being gay: "abnormal", "deviant", "sinful", etc. (when I didn’t think I was anything but normal – different, yes, but not abnormal, and certainly not "deviant").

George Orwell, of course, drew attention to the political use of language with Newspeak in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopia that seems to be becoming more relevant with every passing year.

And today, through a chance reference on Crooked Timber, I discovered Steven Poole’s Unspeak, where Poole comments on the uses of language to influence and deceive. Very interesting and worth a visit. And he’s got a book out as well! By the way, check out his video on the Amazon web site. My, hasn’t he got a hairy chest?