The Power of Vocabulary

Language is a highly influential tool that is used to sway the beliefs of individuals. The power of language can be dangerous because few individuals take the time to see all sides of an argument. I believe that many individuals are influenced by the opinions of organizations without being well informed because they accept what is said as fact, when they are really being manipulated by language.

Fairclough stated that; “ideological differences between texts in their representations of the world are coded in their vocabulary” (Fairclough p107). The following examples from the globalization debate can be used to display how organizations use language to express their views and manipulate the public.

The International Monetary Fund looks after international financial development and financial aid. They are in favour of globalization and in the following excerpt they use the words in bold to convey the issue in a positive light.

“It [Globalization] refers to the increasing integration of economies around the world[...]. Markets promote efficiency through competition and the division of labour […] that allows people and economies to focus on do what they do best. Global markets offer greater opportunity for people to tap into more and larger markets around the world” (Globalization: Threat or Opportunity?: An IMF Brief [view work cited #2])

The Global Policy Forum is a non profit organization whose mission is to create a balanced global society. They oppose globalization and use the words in bold to give it a negative spin.

“Northern countries want to open world markets […] to take advantage of abundant, cheap labour in the South […]. […] The results have […] offered pittances to laborers, provoking a strong backlash from civil society,” (Globalization of the Economy, Global Policy Forum [view work cited #3])

If an individual read only one of these descriptions, they could be swayed to agree with the opinion expressed; however every individual should realize that organizations have motives for using certain words. In order to fully grasp, understand, and form an informed opinion of about a concept, it is necessary to refer to multiple sources of information.

Work Cited:

Fairclough, Norman. “Critical Discourse Analysis in Practice: Description.” Introduction to Communication. Ed. Alexandre Sévigny. Iowa, Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2005. 107

IMF staff.“Globalization: Threat or Opportunity?”. International Monetary Fund. II What is Globalization?. April 12th, 2000/Revised January 2002. < http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/ib/2000/041200.htm#II>