tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442430064359197279.post3324950600933533609..comments2024-03-26T10:03:51.827+13:00Comments on Karl du Fresne: How identity politics has changed languageKarl du Fresnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05054853925940134404noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8442430064359197279.post-54313957045753025612016-03-24T14:19:22.069+13:002016-03-24T14:19:22.069+13:00Words change naturally-at least their meaning does...Words change naturally-at least their meaning does but so many of these changes seems to be a deliberate way of manipulating the meaning to suit the political aims of the user. Labour have in past paid particular attention to the meanings of words and I always recall that Clare Curran presented a paper to a Labour party conference about ensuring that the left at least could try to control the way words were used if not their meaning so as to make it more favourable to the left. In some ways words are also altered in order to shut out others and to show the superiority of the user who 'knows' the 'correct' way a word should be used. Many people use certain words in one context and others in a different situation. A bit like Sue Bradford's 'working class' accent was sometimes prominent-depending on her audience. Ranganui Walker was also good at doing this with his rhetoric much reduced if his audience were non-Maori.<br />Interesting thing is that some people just don't hear this. Jigsawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13906156865367357834noreply@blogger.com