The use of “therapeutic language” terms such as gaslighting and emotional labor could simplify the English language, a leading researcher has warned.
Dr. Robert Morgan, a professor and ethicist at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, said the current definition of the words is far from the original meaning, harming our ability to communicate properly.
While acknowledging that language is constantly evolving, Dr. Morgan said he is “concerned” about words losing their meaning when their original sentiment was very specific and had a single purpose.
“When the meaning of this word changes, we have no other way to describe it,” he said.
Dr Morgan has also criticized the use of the word woke, used to describe being progressive, as he says it is overwriting its original meaning – to alert people to avoid danger by “staying awake”.
While acknowledging that language is constantly evolving, Dr. Morgan said he is “concerned” about words losing their meaning when their original sentiment was very specific and had a single purpose.
The phrase “stay awake” was first used by blues singer Lead Belly in the 1930s as a warning to African Americans to stay alert when traveling through more dangerous areas of the United States.
With the specific function of warning against danger, “awaken” was an important and useful word, Dr. Morgan argued.
The meaning of the word has since changed, from meaning being aware of racial injustice, to general progressivism, as well as a derogatory word used by right-wing commentators.
According to the newspaper, people no longer have a word they can use to promote safety.
‘Gaslighting’ once referred to a very specific type of emotional abuse, and originated in Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play Gas Light.
In the play, a husband tries to convince his wife that the increasingly dim lights are a figment of his imagination to manipulate her and change her perception of reality.
It is now used much more informally to refer to “lie” or “cheat” in political discourse and on social media, Dr. Morgan said in an article published in The Philosophical Quarterly.
The phrase “stay awake” was first used by blues singer Lead Belly (right) in the 1930s as a warning to his fellow African-Americans to remain alert when traveling through more dangerous areas of the US.
People who are now experiencing a specific type of abuse may not be able to identify or understand what is happening as easily, Dr. Morgan said.
Another phrase highlighted by Dr. Morgan was “emotional labor,” first used by sociologist Arlie Hochschild in the 1980s to describe the extra effort hospitality workers require to manage their emotions and keep customers happy. .
It has since been adopted on social media to refer to demanding tasks that tend to fall more on women than men, including housework and managing social relationships.
Dr Morgan said: “Emotional labor was another useful phrase, but the concern is that when we start using it in this very broad way to mean many different things, we now don’t have a phrase to refer to that original phenomenon.
‘For example, if you are a barista and you feel exhausted after a day of being expected to smile at every customer, you may be experiencing the downfalls of emotional labor in its original sense, but no longer able to express it to your customers. colleagues or even identify it.’
Dr Morgan urged people to consider the history of the key terms they use and make sure the context in which they use them is correct.
He is not the first to warn about changes in language. The CDC has previously been criticized for using terms like “pregnant people” instead of “pregnant women,” with some saying the change is confusing.