Doublepek Language

Does language shape someone’s perception of the world and therefore their reality? Is our world really shaped by the ways in which one speaks and simultaneously communicates? Absolutely. First impressions almost always come from the way someone speaks, the words they choose, the dialect or twang of their speech, and the tone of their voice. Speech is essential to expression. Doublespeak, the negative aspect of how we use language, is also a part of this expression, because it influences how someone communicates and carries their self in a conversation. The way people speak and carry themselves in a conversation has shaped society from the very beginning, even in colonial times when colonists were starting to break away from the roots of British
Ray Gwyn Smith says, “Who is to say that robbing a people of its language is less violent than war?” Without all different types of speech and language, no one would be able to express themselves, due to the fact that people form their impressions from what we say, and how we say
Doublespeak is essentially telling a sliver of the truth but never the whole. The newfound urge in society to be completely politically correct and nothing short of socially conventional fuels doublespeak more than anything else. People with severe illnesses that leave them unable to function are called “special” out of politeness, a wreck that left many dead because of the fault of a drunk driver is an “accident”, and a dead person is nothing more than another “casualty”. These types of words, known as euphemisms, are used as a cover up, a sort of social façade when we don’t want to show the harsh or ugly realities of what we’re really saying out of politeness or some other reason entirely. In my own life, I’ve seen countless examples of doublespeak. When my aunt and uncle divorced, they weren’t incompatible or simply weren’t meant for each other, they had just “fallen out of love”. This particular example of doublespeak is used to soften the blow, to make things not seem as gritty and real as they actually are. No one wants to seem insensitive, and their words and realities reflect this mindset, thus resulting in doublespeak. In the entire time I’ve lived in Swain County, only a handful would refer to me as “gay”, it’s always the more correct term, “homosexual”. I can’t say I have a “girlfriend”, I have to say I have a “partner”, to save face for those who get uncomfortable