Thread: How we use language is important. I think most people would agree with that. As an autistic individual I sometimes misconstrue meanings or intentions based on how other people use it, but we seem to have an increasing issue of people deliberately misconstruiy it. 1/

To forestall the inevitable "prove it" comments. I'm a former journalist and editor of two foreign national newspapers. I have multiple qualifications in communications and my Master's dissertation is in the secondary use of language when discussing asylum seekers. 2/

So let's begin. Before I get into the specific terminology the first thing is context. How often do you see people say "show me where they were racist, anti-semitic, Islamophobic, homophobic etc"? Or just, "that's not what they said"? 3/

This is where context is important. Language doesn't have to be about the exact phrases used, it is more often the way the speaker intends for them to be heard by particular groups which is how they do the most damage. 4/

This is how a lot of people get away with deliberately stirring up animosity to certain groups. They know they can avoid saying specific slurs, but they will still get their intended meaning across. 5/

So, how can you read the context. It's not that hard. You look at a wide range of the speakers language, the audiences they are engaging with, the responses which they get etc. You place the use of their language in the wider framework of their actions. 6/

What about the terminology though? Language doesn't actually shift as quickly as some may like to make out. Certain words enter into a vocabulary very fast these days, particularly thanks to social media, but for the most part words don't suddenly become offensive over night. 7/

The old "it was acceptable when I was growing up" line doesn't work as an excuse in most cases. First of all, ask yourself was it "acceptable" or did you just "accept it". Those are two very different things. 8/

Secondly, was it "acceptable" to the groups it was being used about. Or was it just acceptable because you didn't care one way or the other about those groups"? Quite often you'll find the latter is the case. 9/

Does that work for everything though? No. Look at the debate in some papers today about the use of "nitty-gritty". Would most people have drawn a connection between that and slavery? No, including etymologists, yet it meant enough for at least one person to make a complaint. 10/

We all know the words which are though and we know, if we are honest, why they are offensive. We also know that some words are only "acceptable" for certain groups to use, because that's how they have evolved as part of identities. 11/

Then you have phrases which are embedded in daily usage, yet have the subconscious effect of creating a bias one way or the other. Think about "illegal migrant". We would never use the term "illegal citizen" for someone who had broken the law, yet many accept illegal migrant. 12/

What's the problem though? Well, when you relate a negative term constantly with a particular group, whether intentional or not, it creates an ingrained negative impression of that group which leads to unconscious bias against them. 13/

It's not always easy to see these phrases though. Take the current use of "border closures" rather than "travel restrictions". It's fairly innocuous to most, but when it is combined with larger debates on things like asylum seekers and freedom of movement. 14/

It starts to embed the idea of "closing borders" being a normal and rational government response, which in turn feeds later on into wider debates on immigration.
There are, however, more obvious examples of terminology being used to dismiss or detract. 15/

Take the term "woke" for example. In and of itself it is fairly meaningless anyway, seriously look at how it is used by different people to mean different things. Mainly though it is used to dismiss an argument without engaging with it now. 16/

We all use language which others may or may not find offensive. Often we do it without meaning any offense. Some, however know exactly what they are doing. That's we have the phrase "dog whistle", something which can only be heard by the groups who you want it heard by. 17/

And, yes, there will always be groups who deliberately take offense to the use of otherwise innocuous terms. It's never going to be easy to please everyone, so commonsense needs to be applied and, again, the context considered. 18/

Language is important, the context we use it in is important. The impact it has on others is important. Yet, many don't pay attention to it. It's just words that float by. Yet they don't in reality. They stick in our heads and create our own internal biases. 19/

That's why we need to be more aware of the repercussions of the word we use. We also need to accept that some phrases will be used. It's a question of picking out the ones which actually do the harm, otherwise people will stop listening and carry on regardless. 20/