Transparency (linguistic)
Encyclopedia
Linguistic transparency is a phrase which is used in multiple, overlapping subjects in the fields of linguistics
and the philosophy of language. It has both normative
and descriptive senses.
Advocates of normative linguistic transparency often argue that linguistic opacity is dangerous to a democracy. These critics point out that jargon is deliberately employed in government and business. It encrypts morally suspect information in order to dull reaction to it: for example, the phrase "collateral damage
" to refer to the manslaughter
of innocents.
One play upon this view was by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White
, who in the Elements of Style ruled that the writer ought to "eschew obfuscation".
The Plain Language Movement
is an example of people who advocate using clearer, common language within the wider academic community.
Professor at New York University Alan Sokal
, perpetrator of the Sokal hoax, is another noteworthy example of an advocate of linguistic transparency.
Writer and political philosopher George Orwell
was a proponent of this view, which he captured in the landmark essay, "Politics and the English Language
." Orwell wrote a novel, 1984
, about a dystopia
n future controlled through a politically crafted language called "Newspeak
." Newspeak is a language that is linguistically transparent in the descriptive sense, but not in the normative one.
Comedian George Carlin
has famously parodied the phenomenon in his stand-up comedy.
The approach may sound like common sense, but it faces the difficulty of figuring out how to communicate complex and uncommon ideas in a popular way.
compounds. Endocentric compound words are those whose whole meaning can be figured out by an analysis of its parts or "morphemes". An example of an endocentric compound is the word "car-wash". By contrast, some compound words are exocentric, meaning their whole meaning cannot be established by an analysis of parts; for example, the word "hogwash". Exocentric words are also known as semantically opaque.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and the philosophy of language. It has both normative
Norm (philosophy)
Norms are concepts of practical import, oriented to effecting an action, rather than conceptual abstractions that describe, explain, and express. Normative sentences imply “ought-to” types of statements and assertions, in distinction to sentences that provide “is” types of statements and assertions...
and descriptive senses.
Normative
Normatively, the phrase can be used to describe the effort to suit one's rhetoric to the widest possible audience, without losing relevant information in the process.Advocates of normative linguistic transparency often argue that linguistic opacity is dangerous to a democracy. These critics point out that jargon is deliberately employed in government and business. It encrypts morally suspect information in order to dull reaction to it: for example, the phrase "collateral damage
Collateral damage
Collateral damage is damage to people or property that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome. The phrase is prevalently used as an euphemism for civilian casualties of a military action.-Etymology:...
" to refer to the manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
of innocents.
One play upon this view was by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White
E. B. White
Elwyn Brooks White , usually known as E. B. White, was an American writer. A long-time contributor to The New Yorker magazine, he also wrote many famous books for both adults and children, such as the popular Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, and co-authored a widely used writing guide, The...
, who in the Elements of Style ruled that the writer ought to "eschew obfuscation".
The Plain Language Movement
Plain Language Movement
The Plain Language Movement is an effort to eliminate unnecessarily complex language from academia, government, law, and business.International and national organizations in the movement include:...
is an example of people who advocate using clearer, common language within the wider academic community.
Professor at New York University Alan Sokal
Alan Sokal
Alan David Sokal is a professor of mathematics at University College London and professor of physics at New York University. He works in statistical mechanics and combinatorics. To the general public he is best known for his criticism of postmodernism, resulting in the Sokal affair in...
, perpetrator of the Sokal hoax, is another noteworthy example of an advocate of linguistic transparency.
Writer and political philosopher George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
was a proponent of this view, which he captured in the landmark essay, "Politics and the English Language
Politics and the English Language
"Politics and the English Language" is an essay by George Orwell criticizing "ugly and inaccurate" contemporary written English.Orwell said that political prose was formed "to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." Orwell believed...
." Orwell wrote a novel, 1984
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
, about a dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n future controlled through a politically crafted language called "Newspeak
Newspeak
Newspeak is a fictional language in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novel, it refers to the deliberately impoverished language promoted by the state. Orwell included an essay about it in the form of an appendix in which the basic principles of the language are explained...
." Newspeak is a language that is linguistically transparent in the descriptive sense, but not in the normative one.
Comedian George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
has famously parodied the phenomenon in his stand-up comedy.
The approach may sound like common sense, but it faces the difficulty of figuring out how to communicate complex and uncommon ideas in a popular way.
Descriptive
Semantic transparency is a descriptive phrase that has been used in linguistics to describe endocentricEndocentric
In linguistics, an endocentric construction is a grammatical construction that fulfills the same linguistic function as one of its parts. An endocentric construction is not an exocentric construction, and an exocentric construction is not an endocentric construction...
compounds. Endocentric compound words are those whose whole meaning can be figured out by an analysis of its parts or "morphemes". An example of an endocentric compound is the word "car-wash". By contrast, some compound words are exocentric, meaning their whole meaning cannot be established by an analysis of parts; for example, the word "hogwash". Exocentric words are also known as semantically opaque.