Language and power aren’t often associated with each other; however, they actually
have more relevance than you think.
Ludwig Wittgenstein famously said, “The limits of my language equal the limit of my
world.” When you delve into this quote you are finally able to realise that the horizon of
your speech is what determines the true meanings of experiences that may be
considered universal. It holds the power of thoughts and feelings. Self-assigned labels
to ourselves and others hold the power to influence perceptions both positive and
negative. This supports the theology of empowering people through speech as it truly
does hold the power to foster confidence, but at the same time could cost your selfesteem.
Self-talk is the dialogue, which is engaged by yourself to yourself, when the talk
becomes more pessimistic, often times leads to anxiety and depression, on the
contrary positive perceptions can directly influence your mood and allows a more
compassionate bond to form to yourself. This is further encouraged by the power of
habit, where the more often you think of things in such a way, the easier it would be to
automatically think in that manner. According to psychologist Dr Rick Hanson, knowing
this can allow people to “hardwire happiness” into their brains. Language and skilled
communicational skills are what truly harbours the foundation of relationships and
interactions between people. Therefore, to cultivate language doesn’t just limit to
words, but also entail how you say it and the intentions behind it, not to mention the
world of non-verbal cues.
In a society where violence is never the solution, it proves to be more important than
ever to provide everyone with equal opportunity to speak up and to get their voice out
there. By the uneven distribution of educational opportunities worldwide, in term limits
the potential people hold. Proving that language and power are closely conjoined. This
further urges the importance of being able to communicate to bigger audiences to grow
ideas and fuel innovation as well as realising pressing issues within our society. By
promoting the growth of speech, small scale communication can be improved but also
globally. It allows clear boundaries and expectations to be set along with building trust
and improved leadership. All these factors kick start a positive multiplier effect where
slowly but surely countries can improve their situations, and conflict can be stopped as
it is never understandable.
Ultimately, the power words hold goes far beyond what first meets the eye, it has the
ability to control the way you see yourself and the world, and also the potential held in
the wider world.