I came across an interesting article about the linguistic relativity principle, also know as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. In essence, the theory is that languages encode cultural and cognitive categories and affect the way people think. If you have ever studied a foreign language this probably isn’t a surprise to you. When I was studying other languages it was obvious to me that there are many cultural clues buried in the structure of a language. Formal versus informal verb forms. Verb tenses based upon status and gender. A rigid sentence structure versus a more informal sentence structure. It is even thought that a tonal language like Mandarin can explain why there seem to be so many excellent classical musicians from China.
The English language has always been dynamic. Absorbing words and ideas from other languages. It’s lexicon ever expanding, like some giant polymorphic monster. I’ve always seen this as a good thing as if there are no limits to the ideas that can be expressed.
Now think about American English. Over the last 30 plus years we’ve seen the rise of political correctness. We’ve seen the post-modernist deconstruction of certainty and hard and fast rules and beliefs. Think about how that would affect men and masculinity for a second. Can you be decisive if the language you use is being modified to water everything down, to see everything as relatively equal? Can you be assertive, if assertiveness is identified with bad connotations, or even squashed with shaming language?
I’ve noticed in my own writing on this blog that I have a tendency, on first blush, to write with watered down language. The unconscious habit is to blunt the message. To leave room in a statement to accommodate a different point of view. In other words, to be less decisive, less assertive than I think I should be. This is a habit picked up through years of school with primarily female teachers. It is a habit that was reinforced time and again. The message: be open, be inclusive, say only that which is socially acceptable (to women).
It is past time that men recognize how language has affected the way men think and identify themselves as men. Make a conscious effort to say what you mean, be decisive, and be assertive.
