Truthiness and LanguageâPopular Perception and Fall-Out

Kate Burridge

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Chapter 2 Truthiness and LanguageâPopular Perception and Fall-Out

In: The Art of Language

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Kate Burridge

Kate Burridge
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 17â41

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004510395_003

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Abstract

In this chapter I draw on popular perceptions of language as revealed in personal letters, emails, online commentary and general feedback I have received during my nearly 30 years involvement with language programs for radio and television (e.g. weekly language segments for public and commercial talkback radio around Australia and the TV program Can We Help). This work shows that even when linguists think they are getting the message across, people commonly fall back on what they âknowâ to be true. This comfortable knowledge often goes on to inform decisions that shape the life chances of others, affecting their employment opportunities, their social mobility, their personal relationshipsâand, as forensic linguists have shown, can even end up putting the wrong person in jail. For some time sociolinguists have been researching public opinion about language; the work I am reporting on here piggybacks on this research, and I hope is a further step towards a better and more constructive public discourse on linguistic issues, where language users (most especially educators, politicians, lawyers and those in the media) put well-researched principles of linguistics above what can be dangerously inaccurate views about how people speak (or should speak).

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The Art of Language

Series:Â Brill's Studies in Language, Cognition and Culture, Volume: 32

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004510395

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 21 Apr 2022

Subjects
- Languages and Linguistics
  - Psycholinguistics & Language and Cognition
  - Sociolinguistics

Front Matter

Part 1 How to Be Welcoming and Hospitable

Part 2 How to Imbue Words with Power

PartÂ 3 How to Keep Languages Strong

Part 4 How to Make Language Transparent

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Chapter 2 Truthiness and LanguageâPopular Perception and Fall-Out

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The Art of Language

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Chapter 2 Truthiness and LanguageâPopular Perception and Fall-Out