Language that is charged or slanted is automatically used to communicate in any way. Almost all language is charged or slanted, to the point that “it is sometimes hard to distinguish between charged or uncharged expression”. It is hard to imagine making even the most simple of statements without including some kind of language that slants the statement one way or the other. Charged language is a usually necessary part of communication, especially when one is trying to educate or influence another. As a father of four teenagers, this is required language for me to be able to effectively guide them to adulthood. How could I explain to my kids the differences between what is right or wrong, or influence them in any way, and be taken as credible, without using some kind of emotion or verbiage that indicates a sense of urgency? How could politicians convince their potential constituents that they were the best candidate to vote for without slanting their speeches in their own favor, and away from their opponent’s? How could an advertisement for a product or service be used to influence a potential buyer that this product of some quality, and better than their competition’s? We will all deal with situations like these in our lives, and none of these would be possible without charging the language in some way.
In addition to spoken or written language, most other elements of communication are also usually charged, or automatically display some intentions of steering the point in one direction or another. Most forms of body language, including facial expressions and hand gestures, are unconscious actions that we perform when we communicate, and these expressions are almost always charged. The use of a special tone of voice when making a statement or asking a question will usually influence a person or group of listeners towards feeling a certain way, and hand motions We convey our emotions when we communicate with one another, and we express ourselves this way almost unconsciously.
Communication would be extremely boring without charged language, and as Birk and Birk put it, “life would be but half-life.” I would hate to live in a bland world where people walked around like androids and displayed no emotion when communicating. It would be like eating food with no flavor or seasoning, or even that had a scent. We have to depend on our emotions when we express ourselves through any form of art, which is a major part of human culture. A singer or musician charges their songs with emotion every time they perform or go into the studio, and this will always influence the listener. I would not be able to enjoy music in the way that I do if it didn’t have any charged emotion that influences it. Actually, the artist would have a hard time producing un-charged art to begin with.
One of the problems with charged language is that it can be used as a way to intentionally exert negative influence, or to spread false or dangerous propaganda. Reading between the lines, so to speak, is an essential part of being able to decode messages that we receive and process them according to what is best for us. Those who are not able to pick up on certain subtle messages within other messages may end up getting the wrong picture, or may be led in the wrong direction. So, while we enjoy charged communication, we have to be aware of it's potential downside.
When you wrote “Charged language is a usually necessary part of communication, especially when one is trying to educate or influence another. As a father of four teenagers, this is required language for me to be able to effectively guide them to adulthood. How could I explain to my kids the differences between what is right or wrong, or influence them in any way, and be taken as credible, without using some kind of emotion or verbiage that indicates a sense of urgency?”
ReplyDeleteThat reminded me of being a teenager and talking to my parents. I tried so hard to understand some of the lectures I got from them. I now understand why they tried so hard to explain things to me or to keep me from believing everything I read or heard. Words can be so powerful. Television can influence a child’s mind, I see ads and television shows that I think are sending out wrong information and mislead young adults. It is very important to understand what charged or slanted language is. So a person can identify when these types of languages are used.
I agree with you when you said that language would be boring without charged language. Emotions play a role in everyday language. How could a person express their feelings to another person? I also think that feeling emotions is an important part for bonding with people. I like how you compared not having charged language to having tasteless food. That helped me understand how important that could be.