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Article: Words are what you make of them. (how the English language has changed through various inversions and meanings of terminology) (Column)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- November 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ALMOST TWO AND A HALF millennia ago, Plato warned, "False words are not only evil in themselves, but ... they infect the soul with evil." American Indians accused whites of speaking with a "forked tongue." In modern times, George Orwell, in his prophetic novel, 1984, predicted the present atmosphere of "doublespeak."
Words, like ideas, have consequences and possess the power to promote truth or spread lies. Today, good words have become bad and language that should be meant to clarify is meant to confuse. For instance, the Clinton Administration uses the terms "investment" to signify spending tax dollars and "public participation" to mean sacrifice. Paradoxical ...