CLICHé
Clichés are sometimes overdone. They are phrases that had an important meaning at one time. They generally are not effective and should be avoided. Example of clichés would be “The grass is always greener on the other side.” (thoughtcatalog.com) This can be a barrier when it underserves the importance of a message being conveyed.
JARGON
Jargon is generally found in a work atmosphere. It can ruin the message to the receiver, if the receiver is not familiar with the speaker’s work practice. An example of this would be police officers and fire fighters who use “10-Codes.” The ten codes do not match between police and fire. 10-8 means “In Service.” In service for a police officer generally means that they
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This type of language is generally seen in a negative light by today’s modern society. It should be avoided at all costs. An example of this type of language would be highlighting a negative phrase that is based on gender, orientation, religion, or ethnicity.
EUPHEMISMS
Euphemisms are created to avoid sexist and racist language or to soften an expression. When applied in the form of avoiding sexism and racism, It can still be demeaning and should be avoided. It has no time or place for the work environment. The person saying it, is trying to avoid the more sinister aspect of this type of language. When trying to soften the tone of an expression, it can be used to politely describe the passing of a loved one. An example of this would be saying that someone passed away vs died.
DOUBLESPEAK
Doublespeak is commonly found in politicians and attorneys. It is an attempt to mislead the receiver by saying one thing but really meaning another. It can also be used as a way to not be fully honest. This is generally seen as hiding or misconstruing the facts of what is really happening. An example of this would be when a politician says that they will not support and new tax increases and then raise small fees for waste and water. They can walk away with a clean conscious and say that they voted for a tax
The “closest cliché syndrome” occurs when a writer doesn’t think critically enough about what they are summarizing and ends up making assumptions. Employing this method is poor form because the author is applying cultural norms, expectations, or personal perceptions to someone else’s words, and they may be completely inaccurate. The result is misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the original author’s work, leading to a shaky foundation for the next paper. The example in the book shows how applying the closest cliché takes a well thought-out letter pertaining to political protest and civil disobedience and boils it down to a request that maybe we could all “just get along.” I enjoy how the authors of the book compare using clichés to
When explaining stereotypes and cliches, she recalls a moment in the past where she said something very stereotypical. “I once admitted to a group of people that I had a mouth like a truck driver. Much to my surprise, a man stood up and said, ‘I’m a truck driver, and I never cuss.’ ” (Ericsson, 499). By using this anecdote, she is able to convey how she says stereotypical things and clichés and how these types of lies affect society today.
Language used in a communication could cause confusion if abbreviations or jargon is used inappropriately.
jargon- words that are specific to a certain group or profession. For example, in The Harry
Klosterman starts out with a very bold claim saying that “important things are inevitably cliche but nobody wants to admit that” (Klosterman 136). As soon as the
Jargon is when a service provider uses technical language the service user may not understand. For example, the doctor may say that a patient needs bloods and an MRI scan. That can sound very frightening to someone who has been rushed in to hospital. It is better if the doctor explains that they need to take some blood to do some simple tests and then explains what a MRI scan is. Understanding the facts can make something seem less scary.
In the world of politics, courtrooms, banks, hospitals, and even at mechanic shops some amount of doublespeak is lingering. Lutz’s article proves how frequent the use of double speak is and manipulative and decisive the people who use it actually are. After reading this essay, it has become obvious to me that Doublespeak has been used on me throughout my entire life. This article has taught me to analyze and investigate phrases that are convoluted or meaninglessly complicated. His paper teaches the reader to ignore the useless information and strip down a phrase to what it really means. Through Lutz’s use of numerous personal and historical examples, he is able to effectively argue his opinion of the negative uses of doublespeak. Audiences who are often confused or misled by speakers various tactics of doublespeak would highly benefit from this article. In order to understand doublespeak one must first understand why speakers use it and what effects it has on the public. Professionals use doublespeak to deceive because it distorts reality in favor of the speaker, it confuses and corrupts the audiences’ thinking, and it avoids responsibility.
It is language that makes the bad seem good, the negative appear positive, and the unpleasant appear attractive or at least tolerable”(Lutz 347-348). In his essay, Lutz describes doublespeak as language that obscures the true meaning of the word or phrase. It is meant to mislead or cause misdirection as well as warp reality and dehumanize language. In other words, doublespeak is an embellishment of the truth; meaning you’re lying in a way that appears as if you are expressing true feelings about a certain subject. As a matter of fact, Lutz illustrates that there are multiple types of doublespeak in which we use every day for the sole purpose of misdirection and corruption of the language. The most common kind of doublespeak is euphemism, jargon, bureaucratese and inflated
If everybody in the workplace communicated in jargon, the new hire would have a difficult time following instructions. This would cause confusion, resentment, and harm workplace practices. Most importantly, it would put a very strong barrier in the way of interpersonal communication, because the new hire would have a difficult time relating to his or her work partners. Clarity really is the first hurdle to jump through in order to have effective communication in the workplace.
John Ayto in his book Euphemisms talks about different euphemisms and their approaches. Understatement is one of these approaches and it takes the heat out of a solid and kind of offensive statement. As an example of this approach of euphemism, is the word “awkward”. In some situations, if something is awkward, it can also be unsafe. From John’s indications, an awkward phase might outcome in just one laying flat on his/her back at the foot of any stairs or an awkward client who might cause you to have a black eye.
Throughout my life I believe that I have experienced quite a lot of doublespeak. The largest impact of doublespeak was when I was younger and both of my grandma’s got cancer. At the age of around twelve I had no idea what cancer was. The way they spoke of cancer was very evasive, mostly because they knew that I probably would not be able to handle what cancer was at my age. I think that doublespeak was a respectable form of doublespeak because they were not trying to hide anything they just wanted what was best for my wellbeing in a troubling time. Another form of doublespeak, which I participated in, happened during my internship this summer. I worked for a tool shop named “Acutec Precision Machining” who manufactured aerospace parts. At Acutec
In the essay “The World of Doublespeak”, by William Lutz, the author gives the reader four different questions to help one identify doublespeak. According to Lutz these questions are, “who is saying what to whom, under what conditions and circumstances, with what intent, and with what results?” (par. 4). These questions help to distinguish between truthful language and doublespeak. The first question, “who is saying what to whom?” focuses on the relationship between the two people. The chance of doublespeak being present increases greatly when the two people have a negative, or passive-aggressive, relationship. The next question, “under what conditions and circumstances?” focuses on the events of what is going on. This question shows up prominently in events such as political rallies and debates. The third question, “with what intent” focuses on the underlying goal of the statement. This question raises the most suspicion, as it makes one really think about whether there is doublespeak present. The final question “what results” ties in on the intent. The outcome of the doublespeak will be different that that of
Slang words are used a lot in today’s world .It is most properly used when people are communicating. It really peeve me when people use a lot of slang when they communicate, because it sometimes make it hard to understand them. The conversation would be a lot simpler without using slang words. For an example, some slang words use in the south of the United States someone up north might not never heard of or might be used differently. Most professional sitting
Introduction As much as language helps to communicate, but as the same time this same language gives room for misunderstanding and miscommunicating. The common and major barriers are these six: Cliché, Jargon, Slang, Sexist and Racist Language, Euphemisms and Doublespeak. Cliché, Jargon and Slang • Cliché is an overused word or phrase that has lost its originality and interest overtime. It loses its impact on the receiver because they avoid the use of the common meaning and at the same time it doesn’t focus on the precise usage of the word or phrase.
In the article, “Doubts about Doublespeak,” by William Lutz describes about doublespeak which is the language that changes the bad to good, negative to positive, and also its meaning. There are four kinds of it. The first, the words or phrases are used to trick or deceive people from somethings embarrassing or bitter situations. The second is slang words which uses in specific groups to communicate quickly, clearly and successfully, such as engineers, doctors, mechanics, and lawyers. Jargon becomes to use when they have to speak to other groups. The third is the words or special words are meaningless or nonsense. The last is the words which makes some things are uncommon, luxury, and symphonic. Overall, doublespeak is a tool to make society