(un)common languages
Language is what brings us together, yet it has long been used to keep us apart too; Latin speakers and Barbarians, the Queen's English (a modified German accent) and localised argots like rhyming or backslang.
Within industries, traditions and social groups, words and gestures alike create common understandings - and also serve to keep outsiders out.
Would you ask for the 'loo' or for the 'toilet'? If handed a knife or pair of scissors, you'd expect the handle to be pointed towards you - especially if you'd worked in a kitchen, studio or dojo.
Now we live in a connected world where inside information is at our fingertips - we've read about it, seen it in the 'making of's, can search for it or are doing it for ourselves. In fashion we now use terms that previously belonged behind the scenes - we discuss 'trophy' bags, proudly wear 'hero' dresses (as in film wardrobe), and we 'edit' our wardrobes like fashion directors or department store buyers..
Every time we share or post something to a social network, were building our own media channels - and big brands love it. They just adore the way we now feel like insiders ourselves - we literally speak their language.
I'm not sure how those in a specific industry feel - I love that everyone now knows the secrets of media production - but how do others take this? Is it a compliment or a threat? #discuss #semantics #guilds
Tribes will always use slang and neologisms to create their own worlds of meaning and inclusion - but you can bet that anything funny or scandalous will be on the urban dictionary within hours, so the shelf life of your secret is greatly reduced.
In an RSA debate a few years ago Jeremy Paxman faced Anne Atkins, a writer and broadcaster who felt that we were losing the best parts of our language - and that very soon correct English would only be spoken and written by an elite few.
His return argument was that all our languages could co exist - and that they fed and informed each other - and that texting and social media had actaully led to a renaissance in the written word.
I scared myself in turn by asking Jeremy if he know about new International English. Stripped down and with simplified grammar it is used open source software developement, collaboration and co creation. It uses a few hundred words and some very geeky convenshuns to aid clear understanding and still show humour. LoLcats rul okais? He had not, and wrapped this into his conclusion - that in the end langage had to be as much about function as form.
If you do stick yourself out on a lingusitic limb, for heavens sake make sure you get the *context* right. I believe this is the last defence of the insider, and it is possible to breach it. Language is about more than using the latest hashtags or terms, it's about building common understanding, and walking a mile or two in their shoes.
The point I'm making can be best summed up by the quote below
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
Nelson Mandela
