Constructed Meaning and Perception Presentation
Loaded language can be defined as the use of languages like sentences, phrases, and words with the purpose of getting an emotional response (Sokolnicki, 2019). Loaded language is critical in swaying someone into doing something and it’s important to have a thorough knowledge of emotions if one is to successfully affect another and how to influence their judgment. Hate speech undermines the dignity of those at whom it’s targeted in their own eyes and in the eyes of other members of the society. Hate speech attacks the basics of reputation by associating a group of status like ethnicity, race, religion, or attributes that preclude someone from being considered a good member in society (Waldron, 2012).
Former President Barrack Obama’s speech during his campaigns in 2008 is an example of a loaded language which he used to sway voters into voting for him. A phrase like ‘Yes we can’ resonated with many voters and this is a phrase that made me have confidence in his presidency. This phrase was able to get an emotional response from the majority of Barrack Obama’s audience with everyone clapping and repeating the phrase in agreement. His choice of sentences like America was a great country, the whites, blacks, Latinos and all immigrants belonged to America and contributed to the country’s success had a major influence on the judgment of immigrant voters.
The use of nonverbal communication such as eye contact with his audience, body movement, and an upright posture during his speeches captured the emotions of his listeners while his facial expressions conveyed his passion for the American citizens. Barrack’s voice commanded the attention of his listeners and his eloquence assured his audience that he actually knew what he was talking about. Barrack’s language impacted me positively where I hoped that he would win the elections and he made me believe that everything was doable and achievable.
The verbal communication speech would have been improved by former Barrack Obama where he would have identified what has and what has not been covered in his speech. The audience should also have been engaged for instance in allowing them to pose questions.
“There’s no intrinsic meaning in phenomena but that humans actively construct meanings and attach values” and “language is powerful and that values inherent in the words we use to shape our perceptions and those of others” are two sentences that correlate to each other showing that language has the potential to induce pleasant or unpleasant feelings in a conversation (Sokolnicki, 2009). These statements relate to the speech by Barrack Obama’s loaded language as they illustrate that language used is powerful in influencing people’s perception and shows how humans decipher information given to them by interpreting it differently and attaching values they deem fit.
Using the phrase “yes we can”, people can attach value to this phrase by identifying it with their own struggles in life and the possibility of a better future for themselves. Barrack won the elections signifying that language is powerful and it’s critical in shaping how people perceive information given to them. Loaded language can also be used to deceive, praise violence, make lies, and make propaganda sound truthful, and it’s, therefore, important to subject loaded language to criticism (Sokolnicki, 2009).
References
Sokolnicki, A. C. (2019). ON LOADED LANGUAGE. A Journal of Young English Philology Thought and Review, 5, 16.
Waldron, J. (2012). The harm in hate speech. Harvard University Press
