Most Powerful Ability Of Language example essay topic

Language is a persuasive tool but can also be misleading and confusing. Barriers such as distorting euphemisms, acronyms, lingo, illogical ities, and clich " es can distort the meaning of words or phrases (Kirby et al, 1999, pg. 92). The most powerful ability of language is to understand and effectively communicate. Being able to clearly communicate ideas to each other allows empowerment and the ability to be open to new thoughts and opinions. The ability to reproduce this information to another in a certain manner can lead to persuasion.

The power of persuasion allows individuals to influence and control people (Dictionary. com, 2005). This tactic of persuasion can also be referred to as propaganda, which increases power by spreading information for the purpose of promoting some cause (Dictionary. com, 2005). The propagandist informs, usually through public speaking or mass media, hoping to persuade the audience to embrace their point of view. With the support of the audience, the speaker gains power.

Through language, leaders are able to determine how the audience perceives a situation, what they are willing to accept, and persuade how they feel. These individuals had a well thought-out plan to persuade people in order to gain power. Certain people are able to verbalize internal feelings and gain the trust of people. Propaganda as an art of persuasion has been used for thousands of years.

The Nazi government of Germany, more specifically Adolf Hitler, used the ability to influence the masses to adopt a certain position. Another way language can be used to gain power is by written language. John Grisham has written several best sellers that are enjoyed by many people and persuade the readers to continue to broaden their vocabulary and imagination. Everyday there are trials with attorneys that have a great deal of power through the language and ideas that they convey to the court. In the case of O.J. Simpson, a dream team of lawyers was hired to argue his case and through persuasion and familiarizing themselves with the language the jury was comfortable with, they were successful. This is an example of the how language can be used to persuade people to think a certain way.

Persuasion is an art formed from the ability to think critically. Critical thinking discovers ways to find how people react to situations, what type of words excite people, and how they can be influenced with those words. The power of language that is encountered by everyone daily can be vast, unlimited, and far-reaching. A proficient use of language can allow us to communicate an exact idea or persuade others to believe one point of view.

Throughout history, leaders have used this fact to control their constituents and the gullible audiences. Language is the base of critical thinking that empowers people to gain knowledge and power. Learning to adapt to different languages enhances the critical thinking process by allowing that individual to comprehend new lessons, engage in global conversations, and provide clearer perceptions of other cultures. Expressions can be limited through language if the presentation is misconstrued or if the person is unable to gain experiences due to the lack of not understanding that language.

For instance, children take everything literally and not for what the statement was implying. If a three-year-old is told that it is raining cats and dogs, they will run to the door to see all the animals falling from the sky. They are not able to speak entirely until they are much older, which makes difficult situations occur when trying to attend to their needs and assist them with their problems. Communicating with a person that speaks a different language causes barriers that prevent learning from his or her experiences and limits the expressions of our thoughts. Language works intimately with all aspects of thinking: sensing, feeling, remembering, creating, organizing, reacting, analyzing, reasoning, evaluating, deciding, persuading, and acting (Kirby et al, 1999). Language and language diversity impacts the critical thinking process because how we speak and interpret information is a way of learning.

Any aspect of language can hinder thinking if the message is misinterpreted or misunderstood. The thinking process will become enhanced when strengths and weaknesses of language become more prominent, our own language is increased and refined, and the differences in other languages are acknowledged (Kirby et al, 1999).