3. Doublespeak

Anuj Gupta and Jonathon Reinhardt

Watch the video introducing this module ⇒ The Power of Doublespeak

3.1 Introduction: What is doublespeak?

In 2001, when debate on the detrimental effects of pollution and global warming was raging in the US American media, a leak of a confidential memo embarrassed the Republican Party. In this memo, Frank Luntz, who had been a long-standing communications consultant and lobbying expert advised then President George Bush and the rest of the party to stop using the term ‘global warming. He advised them to start using the term climate change instead. The idea was that ‘warming‘ implied a subject — someone or something that was doing the warming — while ‘change‘ implied something that was not necessarily controlled by anyone, nor was it necessarily good or bad.

Module preview questions

What differences do the phrases “global warming” and “climate change” have on listeners?  Who benefits from the use of these ‘alternative words’? 

What are multiple ways for referring to an unpleasant, taboo thing (e.g. death, illness, or bodily functions)? Why do you think there are alternative words? When is their use polite? Is it ever dishonest? 

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

If you have time and interest, read this piece by Oliver Burkeman in The Guardian to learn more about the memo from Lutz to Bush:

Communications experts, media advisers and political pundits often help politicians and corporations create new language to refer to existing concepts that obscures original meanings and allows for ambiguity. Using these new terms, they can manipulate how people understand the concepts and lead them to forget unpleasant or controversial connotations. Inspired by the writings of the dystopian author George Orwell, William Lutz conceptualized this as doublespeak, a unique rhetorical strategy involving the use of language that seeks to “mislead, distort, deceive, inflate, circumvent, obfuscate” (Lutz 2016, p. 24).

According to Lutz:

“Doublespeak is language that pretends to communicate but really doesn’t. It is language that makes the bad seem good, the negative appear positive, the unpleasant appear attractive or at least tolerable. Doublespeak is language that avoids or shifts responsibility, language that is at variance with its real or purported meaning. It is language that conceals or prevents thought; rather than extending thought, doublespeak limits it…Basic to doublespeak is incongruity, the incongruity between what is said or left unsaid, and what really is” (Lutz, 2016, p.23).

The power of doublespeak is that it allows the speaker to disavow or deny that a concept has negative traits or connotations. While it may not involve blatant lies, doublespeak may be deceptive if the listener is not fully aware of what meanings or connotations it is masking. Most problematically, after hearing the term repeated and re-used over time, the listener may become inured to these other connotations.

Key points from 3.1

  • Doublespeak is a language power technique that involves renaming a concept in order to obscure its original negative meaning and allow for ambiguity. 
  • Doublespeak is powerful because after hearing it repeatedly, listeners may forget unpleasant, shocking, and controversial connotations of the original term.

Activity 3.1: If it looks like it and smells like it…

a. Much doublespeak is used to refer to environmental destruction. Read the article about them and complete the matching activity.

https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/eco_euphemisms_confuse_our_understanding_of_environmental_destruction/

3.2 The language of doublespeak

Doublespeak can involve the use of euphemism, as well as deliberate ambiguity and reversing the meaning of words. Merriam-Webster defines euphemism as “the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant”. A speaker or writer considers purpose and audience when choosing euphemism; in other words, the meaning of a euphemism often depends on social context. Traditionally, euphemisms are used to mention taboo or socially sensitive topics, thus showing respect to the audience and the referent — for example death (‘pass‘ instead of ‘die‘), bodily functions (‘go to the bathroom‘ instead of ‘defecate‘), or bad fortune (‘was let go‘ instead of ‘was fired‘). This diplomatic purpose of euphemism is especially important in political circles, where one has to interact with people who may be adversarial and the wrong choice of words might worsen relationships.

The opposite of a euphemism is a dysphemism, or the purposeful “substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one” (Merriam-Webster), for example ‘crapper‘ instead of ‘toilet‘. It is used to shock, amuse, or show informality and is often used for name-calling. A euphemism can sometimes be so preferred that the original term becomes dysphemistic over time.

Euphemisms and dysphemisms can be nouns, adjectives, and verbs as well as phrases. Creating one can involve, for example, transforming a noun which is sentimentally and sensorially loaded either in a positive or negative way (like ‘torture‘ which carries a lot of negative sentimental and sensory associations), into another noun or noun phrase made up of an adjective and a noun (like ‘enhanced interrogation‘, a euphemism) that carries very neutral or positive sentimental and sensory associations. A euphemism or dysphemism is by default a synonym of the original term and it may involve metonymy, the use of the name of an attribute or part of a thing to mean the whole thing or something related to the concept, or vice-versa; for example, ‘adult bookstore‘, a euphemism for ‘pornography shop‘, or ‘the old ball and chain‘, a dysphemism for ‘wife‘.

Key points from 3.2

  • Doublespeak often involves the deceptive use of euphemism, the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant.
  • Euphemism is often used out of respect to refer to socially sensitive and taboo concepts having to do with topics like death or bodily functions; it is not only used in doublespeak.
  • Dysphemism is the substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one. It is used to shock, amuse, or show informality and is often used for name-calling.
  • Euphemisms and dysphemisms may be nouns, adjectives, verbs, and phrases. They are by definition synonyms of the original expression and may use metonymy.

Activity 3.2 Use the euphemisms

a.

b. Which paragraph in a above, 1 or 2, sounds more like the writer is proud of the subject, and which sounds neutral? If the writer were jealous of, or didn’t like, the subject, how might they use some dysphemisms for her? Rewrite the paragraph to reflect a more derogatory view.

 

Learn about the grammar of nouns in ⇒ 4. Nouns and the grammar of adjectives in ⇒ 8. Adjectives & Determiners

3.3 The politics of euphemism & dysphemism

While some euphemisms, for example those referring to taboo subjects, are regularly understood and are politically benign, some language use may be seen as euphemistic depending on which side of the political spectrum one falls on. For example, somebody who is anti-abortion might feel that the term ‘women’s choice is euphemistic doublespeak for ‘baby murder’, while a pro-choice activist might feel the term ‘baby murderis rather dysphemistic. Animal rights activists would not hesitate to call a ‘meat processing plant‘ a ‘slaughterhouse in order to highlight the sensory violence that happens in that space, while food corporation executives might even consider ‘slaughterhouse a dysphemism. In short, one side’s euphemism (an emotionally neutral term) can be the other side’s dysphemism (an emotionally evocative term), and vice-versa, while the concept’s true meaning is hidden in the power struggle. It is important to remember that there may or may not be a neutral term that the euphemism or dysphemism is replacing.

Euphemisms are often used in what has been termed PC or politically correct language, a term used by cultural and political conservatives to argue that when a new, euphemistic term is used to replace an older term that was considered racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory (e.g. ‘mail carrier‘ for ‘mailman‘, or ‘special needs‘ for ‘disability‘), it is a violation of the free speech rights of people to use the original terms. However, from a linguistic perspective, the idea that language influences thought and vice-versa gives credence to the notion that changing the words one uses may influence how one thinks, so promoting PC language aligns with the progressive ideal to improve society and promote social justice and equality. Using PC language or not comes down to whether, where, and how one chooses to be polite (a word related to ‘political’), in other words, the context of use. A progressive might argue that using PC language is in fact an exercise of their free speech rights, and that using a term deemed PC in conservative circles could result in being ostracized.

To promote their ideologies, conservatives may use dog whistle language, a form of doublespeak that covertly signals its meaning only to audiences who are attuned to it; since it may be controversial to state its true meaning publicly, it is euphemistic only to those audiences. For example, ‘family values‘ can sometimes act as a dog whistle to conservative religious voters to mean ‘exclusively traditional heterosexual family structures’. Political correctness among conservatives has also been called ‘patriotic correctness’ (see activity 3.3c below).

Key points from 3.3

  • Euphemistic doublespeak can be used to signal, reflect, and promote a particular political ideology or cultural worldview
  • Politically correct or PC language is often euphemistic, but whether it’s doublespeak or not–that is, whether it’s intended to deceive and mislead–is a matter of (often political) perspective.
  • Dog whistle language is euphemistic doublespeak that covertly signals meaning only to receptive audiences.

Activity 3.3 Political Correctness

a. If someone uses non-PC language, do you think it is a violation of their free speech rights to ostracize them socially? censor them? prosecute them for hate speech?  Take a look at the following examples of PC euphemisms, or come up with a few on your own. Which ones should definitely be used in what contexts, and which ones could be acceptable in some contexts? What is the difference?

https://purlandtraining.com/2020/08/01/politically-correct-euphemisms/

b. Explore this list of ‘liberal euphemisms’ as defined by the right-wing site Conservapedia. Which ones do you think that liberals would say are actually neutral terms, and which conservative equivalents do you think liberals would say are dysphemisms?

https://www.conservapedia.com/Liberal_euphemisms

c. Watch this commentary by Andrew Davis of the Millennial Project on ‘patriotic correctness’, the conservative equivalent to ‘political correctness’. After watching, discuss/reflect on the questions below.

 

What is Davis’ argument? What do you think of his advice to Millennials? 

If you have time and interest, watch the late comedian George Carlin’s bit about euphemisms, although be forewarned, you might find it offensive! Which of his points do you agree or disagree with?

3.4 Where is doublespeak used? How does it work?

Not surprisingly, doublespeak is used frequently in advertising and marketing. Real estate ads, for example, are renowned for their use of euphemisms that border on doublespeak, with descriptions of ‘fixer-uppers‘ in ‘up-and-coming‘ neighborhoods. Cars may be sold as ‘pre-owned‘ rather than ‘used‘, and ‘adult entertainment lounge‘ is used instead of ‘strip club‘. An important aspect of consumer literacyis recognizing when doublespeak is being used to sell you something; consumers should remember this especially when purchasing goods and services that are used or that have to do with something unpleasant or a cultural taboo.

In the political sphere, doublespeak is used to mask intentions and support ideologies or narratives that may be untruthful or unpopular. For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin has referred to his 2022 invasion of Ukraine as ‘peacekeeping duties‘, and has made any use of the term ‘war‘ to refer to the invasion illegal in Russia. He has justified the war as ‘denazification‘, even though there is no evidence of neo-nazism in Ukraine; in fact, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is Jewish and the grandson of a Holocaust survivor (and ironically, this has also not kept many others around the world from drawing parallels between Putin and Hitler). To the Russian populace under Putin’s sway, however, it is easier to believe Russia is ridding their neighbor of Nazi influence and keeping the peace, especially when there are serious penalties if one believes otherwise.

 

Photo by Markus Spiske is on Unsplash

Doublespeak works to influence listeners in several ways. Most obviously, we are more likely to accept an action if it is called something agreeable, whether it actually is agreeable or not. In a study by Walker et al. 2021, 404 participants were asked whether they agree with a particular action or not. Each action in the passage was described either using a euphemism or a dysphemism. For example, participants were asked how much they agreed with Ben’s actions in the following sentences: “Ben invited a provocateur to speak at his university” versus “Ben invited a hate-monger to speak at his university”. The study revealed that people more likely agreed with the first, and that “participants’ evaluations of actions are made more favorable by replacing a disagreeable term (e.g., torture) with a semantically related agreeable term (e.g., enhanced interrogation) in an act’s description” (Walker et al., 2021).

Doublespeak uses euphemisms, and since many people use euphemisms out of politeness or the desire for social harmony, when we hear them we might assume that the speaker means to be polite and wants to avoid emotional response. Even if we recognize the doublespeak is intentionally misleading, we might not be critical of it, or we might just call it a ‘white lie’, in order to maintain social harmony. This is dangerous, however, because it can inure us to its distorted, deceitful, and immoral quality.

Hugh Rank (1980) created a model for understanding how doublespeak functions, along with other propaganda techniques like name-calling. He argued that a speaker or writer who is trying to convince or persuade others will intensify their own good and their target’s bad qualities at the same time they downplay their own bad and their target’s good ones. To intensify, whether their own good qualities or their opponent’s bad ones, they will use repetition, association, and composition. Repetition means saying something over and over again over time, whether it is or isn’t true. Association means leading the audience to connect the good qualities of something to oneself (e.g. a US flag), or the bad qualities of something to the target. Composition means using linguistic and grammatical techniques strategically. To downplay a speaker or writer will use omission, diversion, and confusion, which is where doublespeak comes in to play. A speaker can omit something by just not mentioning it, or they can rename it to avoid saying it directly. They may divert by talking about something else, and they may confuse listeners with the terminology change or by using different or opposite terminology. In short, doublespeak is a way to downplay and confuse people about what they should believe is truth or reality (Rank, 1980 qtd. in Lutz, 2016)

Photo by Brian Wertheim is on Unsplash

Key points from 3.4

  • Because doublespeak is used frequently in advertising and marketing, awareness of it is key to consumer literacy.
  • In politics, doublespeak is used to mask intentions and support ideologies or narratives that may be untruthful or unpopular.
  • Because of the desire to stay safe or maintain social harmony, people may ignore or overlook doublespeak even if they know its meaning.
  • Doublespeak is especially powerful when used to intensify or downplay a speaker/writer or their target’s good or bad qualities. As a way to downplay, it can be a form of omission or diversion and can contribute to confusion.

Activity 3.4 The power of doublespeak

a. Find an example of doublespeak used in advertising or in political discourse. What makes it doublespeak, and not just euphemism?

b. Read this 2021 article in Grist by Kate Yoder: “From doublespeak to alternative facts: How Trump made a mess of the language”. After reading, discuss/reflect on the questions below.

https://grist.org/politics/from-doublespeak-to-alternative-facts-how-trump-made-a-mess-of-the-language/

  1. What does it mean that “a word untethered to reality starts to lose its meaning”? How does this happen, and what is its effect?
  2. How do you think it is possible that people can simultaneously hold two beliefs that contradict each other? What examples can you think of?
  3. What do you think of the idea that we should ‘define our terms’ before debating others? What is the purpose?

3.5 Jargon

Jargon is “the specialized language of a trade, profession, or similar group, such as that used by doctors, lawyers, engineers, educators, or car mechanics” (Lutz, 2016, p.28). While jargon is necessary for technical communication in different fields, in some cases it can be used as doublespeak, especially when:

“pretentious, obscure, and esoteric terminology [is] used to give an air of profundity, authority, and prestige to speakers and their subject matter. Jargon as doublespeak often makes the simple appear complex, the ordinary profound, the obvious insightful. In this sense it is used not to express but impress.” (Lutz, 2018, p.29).

The major distinguishing factor from euphemism is that jargon is very specific to registers having to do with professions, at the same time it is very low frequency in common registers like everyday conversation or news. For example, ‘glass‘ is a high frequency word which is easily understandable by most people, but ‘fused silicate‘ is a term for glass used by materials scientists and engineers, who use it to contrast it with other similar terms. They know exactly what it means; the problem is when jargon is used for audiences that the speaker or writer knows will not understand it fully.

An additional problem is that jargonistic sentences are often written with redundant language, unclear subjects, and multiple embedded clauses. For example, a tow truck driver manual might state: “When the process of freeing a vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area” (plainlanguage.gov). If we simplify the sentence by de-embedding the clauses and removing redundancies, it becomes a lot more comprehensible: “If you make a hole while freeing a stuck vehicle, you must fill the hole before you drive away” (plainlanguage.gov).

When multiple jargonistic words are piled on top of each other, it contributes to bureaucratese, a register found in governmental and traditional institutions that is also characterized by euphemism and weasel language, or language that obfuscates agency, authority, and responsibility. In order to tackle bureaucratese and jargon in the USA, the US government passed the Plain Writing Act in 2010 which requires all federal government agencies to use plain language that the public can easily understand.

If you have time and interest, learn more about the Plain Language Act here:

Key points from 3.5

  • Jargon is the specialized words and linguistic registers associated with an activity or group that is difficult to understand for outsiders.
  • Jargon can be deliberately used as a form of doublespeak, especially when part of bureaucratese, a register used in governmental and traditional institutions that is especially opaque.

Activity 3.5 Jargon


3.6 Module Discussion/Reflection Questions

Reflect on the content of this module by answering some or all of the following questions. Provide examples to support your points.

  1. What is doublespeak and where is it found? Why can it be misleading or deceptive? 
  2. What are euphemisms and how are they used in general and for the purpose of doublespeak?
  3. What is the purpose of politically correct language, and why do you think some people are critical of it?
  4. Why do people overlook doublespeak? How can you be aware of when it is being used strategically to sway you?
  5. What is jargon and why can it be difficult to understand? How is it used for doublespeak?

⇒ If you are doing the corpus activities, try the module corpus activity next: Doublespeak in Environmental Discourse

3.7 Key Points on Doublespeak

3.1 What is doublespeak?

  • Doublespeak is a language power technique that involves renaming a concept in order to obscure its original negative meaning and allow for ambiguity. 
  • Doublespeak is powerful because after hearing it repeatedly, listeners may forget unpleasant, shocking, and controversial connotations of the original term.

3.2 The language of doublespeak

  • Doublespeak often involves the deceptive use of euphemism, the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant.
  • Euphemism is often used out of respect to refer to socially sensitive and taboo concepts having to do with topics like death or bodily functions; it is not only used in doublespeak.
  • Dysphemism is the substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one. It is used to shock, amuse, or show informality and is often used for name-calling.
  • Euphemisms and dysphemisms may be nouns, adjectives, verbs, and phrases. They are by definition synonyms of the original expression and may use metonymy.

3.3 The politics of euphemism & dysphemism

  • Euphemistic doublespeak can be used to signal, reflect, and promote a particular political ideology or cultural worldview
  • Politically correct or PC language is often euphemistic, but whether it’s doublespeak or not–that is, whether it’s intended to deceive and mislead–is a matter of (often political) perspective.
  • Dog whistle language is euphemistic doublespeak that covertly signals meaning only to receptive audiences.

3.4 Where is doublespeak? How does it work?

  • Because doublespeak is used frequently in advertising and marketing, awareness of it is key to consumer literacy.
  • In politics, doublespeak is used to mask intentions and support ideologies or narratives that may be untruthful or unpopular.
  • Because of the desire to stay safe or maintain social harmony, people may ignore or overlook doublespeak even if they know its meaning.
  • Doublespeak is especially powerful when used to intensify or downplay a speaker/writer or their target’s good or bad qualities. As a way to downplay, it can be a form of omission or diversion and can contribute to confusion.

3.5 Jargon

  • Jargon is the specialized words and linguistic registers associated with an activity or group that is difficult to understand for outsiders.
  • Jargon can be deliberately used as a form of doublespeak, especially when part of bureaucratese, a register used in governmental and traditional institutions that is especially opaque.

Know this vocabulary? Test your knowledge in this crossword puzzle.


Module authors: Anuj Gupta & Jonathon Reinhardt

Last updated: 26 October 2022


This module is part of Critical Language Awareness: Language Power Techniques and English Grammar, an open educational resource offered by the Clarify Initiative, a privately funded project with the goal of raising critical language awareness and media literacy among students of language and throughout society.

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Critical Language Awareness: Language Power Techniques and English Grammar Copyright © 2023 by Anuj Gupta and Jonathon Reinhardt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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