Does our language betray us?

by Mysterious 23 Replies latest jw friends

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  Mysterious

  Has anyone else noticed how you can tell who is new or fading, who was a long timer, who was never really into it, etc just from the way posts and language are structured? I think it struck me when I heard someone say they did their utmost to leave the organization..do your utmost..not a common expression in most people's worlds so it still twigged a JW connection. Reading Steve Hassan's book on mind control reminded me of just how important language is in cult group membership.

  Those of you who wrote for university or work afterwards did you find that you had to curb your writing style to not sound jw'ish? Or that your writing evolved greatly over time?
• 

  DeusMauzzim

  Absolutely.

  Language is always tied up with mythology. Mythology is ideology in narrative form.

  Were you referring to my last post? - I didn't notice myself using that expression.. so I guess you are right :)

  I would like to make an analysis of JW 'theocratic' language one day - should be interesting...

  Regards,

  Deus Mauzzim

  P.S You might be interested in reading 'Mythologies' by Roland Barthes - a classic study in how everyday, in this case French culture is vested in mythology, and mythology in language.

  http://www.evene.fr/livres/livre/roland-barthes-mythologies-8031.php
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  Tyrone van leyen

  Mysterious, when I was posting on your cult personality thread could you tell how long I was out. I don't know if I told you but take a guess based on what I wrote.
• 

  bigmouth

  Indeed! All right-minded people feel privileged to teach and exhort using the pure language of truth.
  
  Please be assured of my warm brotherly love.
  
  Your brother,
  Bigmouth.;P
• 

  Crumpet

  Oh absolutely - when i came here I referred to the "truth" and "brothers and sisters" now its all "the Borg" and "dubs"!
• 

  dedpoet

  I think when you first leave, you tend to still use a lot of jw terminology, having heard little else during your time in the cult. I certainly did, but as time went on I have gradually dropped all the jwisms. I've been out for over 7 years now, and I haven't referred to the the wts as the "truth" for at least 5 of those years. I might refer to brothers and sisters on here, or if I'm writing an article on my website, but I certainly never use those terms in my everyday conversation. I never capitalise anything to do with the wts, which I do when referring to other religions. To me, using capitals is a mark of respect, and I have none for the jws.

  The only term I use now, and then only very occasionally, that I didn't use pre jw is the word secular. Every other jwism is now long gone from my vocabulary.
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  slimboyfat

  Mythologies is one of the best books I have read recently.

  Slim
• 

  Narkissos

  One remarkable feature in French JW speak is the high rate of anglicisms (due to the overuse of "calques" in the translation of old WT literature, which has informed the local JW jargon beyond repair) among people who never learnt English.

  In addition to official expressions like service du champ for "field service" (only evocative of agriculture in French... "field survey" in sociology for instance would be translated by "enquêtesur le terrain") there are (or there used to be) a number of "faux amis" in common dub speech, like "appréciation"...
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  Do you Mr. Jones?

  "Power is the ability to define words." -- attributed to Huey Newton

  "We are the stories we tell ourselves." -- writer Joan Didion

  "The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." -- Steve Biko, South African civil rights leader beaten to death while in prison.

  DYMJ (tried to get rid of the red, didn't work.)
• 

  Leolaia

  One remarkable feature in French JW speak is the high rate of anglicisms (due to the overuse of "calques" in the translation of old WT literature, which has informed the local JW jargon beyond repair) among people who never learnt English.

  That's pretty fascinating, worthy of a linguistic study in its own right. Never thought of what happens when theocratese is translated into another language....