Language as Hypnotism

Twentieth-century German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) posits that language is a poison that can be used to seduce, mislead and bewitch. Language is a form of hypnotism; it can “put us to sleep” and make us believe what we are seeing and hearing is true. In the witty Between You and I: A Little Book of Bad English (2003), James Cochrane argues that “the present political chaos is connected with the decay of language,” and that “political language … is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidarity to pure wind” (154). Both men agree that language is a tool of manipulation.

It becomes clear very few of us are aware of this fact going from day to day when we begin to question the platitudes we dispense without a second thought: “Your effort is much appreciated,” “You’re welcome,” “It’ll be dealt with in due course,” “Any inconvenience caused is much regretted,” “Efforts will be made to rectify the mistake,” “My condolences,” “Keep in touch,” “The management will be notified presently” – each and every one of these is essentially meaningless and does not serve to convey information the way we think language should. They exist and are actively used because we collectively agree on their vacuity, which frees the user from specificity and, therefore, commitment.

“Your effort is much appreciated” is an empty expression of gratitude because it allows the “thanker” to acknowledge indebtedness without being specific about what he is thankful for. It is corporate jargon, used by a management that could care less about the individuals who contribute to the company and the specific tasks they perform.

“You’re welcome,” so commonplace an utterance in the English language, could be questioned along the same lines. What exactly do you mean when you say it? Are you implicitly saying you have done the person a big favour and he should therefore be grateful for your generosity?

“It’ll be dealt with in due course” is a favourite among civil servants and bureaucrats. It is procrastination dressed up fancily. The same goes for “The management will be notified presently” and “Efforts will be made to rectify the mistake.” Note the passive. Who will be doing the notifying? Who will be making the efforts? It is unstated. Who exactly in the management will be notified? What will be done to rectify the mistake? It is not specified. The passive is the civil servant’s best friend.

My favourite, “Any inconvenience caused is much regretted,” is so ambiguous it should be labelled “For Existentialists Only.” What inconvenience does the utterer have in mind? Having wasted my time? Having caused my blood pressure to rise and brought me close to the brink of an aneurysm? Having made me swear at little children? How could he have any idea of the extent of my inconvenience? “Much regretted” is a typical example of meaningless language. Ask yourself what it could possibly mean. Is the utterer sincerely remorseful? If he is, what is he going to do about it?

As for the obligatory “My condolences” and “Keep in touch,” what can one really say? What in the Lord’s good name is a condolence anyway? What do you mean when you utter it? Are you in fact saying: I’m glad it’s your husband who died, and not mine? “Keep in touch” keeps things between fair-weather friends vague and simple. It does not say who or how. No-one is to be held accountable.

In most cases, hypnotic language is innocuous. When, however, it finds its way into the political arena (why do we unthinkingly say “arena,” which originally means “a sandy place”?) or the corporate world, it allows liars and wrongdoers to get away with murder – literally. The next time you pick up a newspaper, look out for “collateral damage,” “free peoples of the world,” “team-player,” “downsizing,” “friendly fire,” “outplacement,” “anger management,” “racial purge,” “human resources,” “helpdesk” (where there is neither help nor desk), “customer service,” “credit facility,” “multi-tasking,” “head-hunter,” “national security,” “mission statement,” “paradigm shift,” “quantum leap,” “international diplomacy,” “common denominator,” “social welfare,” and “military coalition.” Take them apart and take a good look at the vacuum inside.

Cochrane, James. Between You and I: A Little Book of Bad English. Lodnon: Icon Books, 2003.

Heaton, John and Judy Groves. Introducing Wittgenstein. London: Icon Books, 1995.