I don?t have an answer for this but I can talk around it for a little
bit and maybe give some pointers. What you seem to be asking, is to
encourage elitists to voluntarily stop being elite. That is a pretty
big question.
There is a world of difference between jargon and redefining words in
the way you describe. I will give you one example of each to clarify
what I mean.
Nearly every laboratory in the world has a container of industrial
methylated spirit. It is called ?industrial? to distinguish it from
the stuff with the purple dye, which hopefully stops winos drinking
it. This is a bit of a mouthful for such a common thing so chemists
refer to it as ?I.M.S.?. Every trade and industry is filled with
similar examples. This is jargon and is equivalent to talking in
shorthand amongst people in the same line of work and to me, whilst
not being ideal use of language is at least acceptable.
Now take the word ?Revert?, It means going back to something you were
doing previously but in marketing speak it means returning somebody?s
telephone call. ?I reverted to Joe but he just wanted to know if I
would go to the football with him tonight?. The problem is that if you
said?I returned Joe?s call?????, then you would define yourself as
being one of the out crowd, not like them. Since most people want to
be part of the group and upwardly mobile and not downwardly mobile
then it is far too easy to fall into the trap.
This is as much of a discussion as I really want to do otherwise it
might develop into a book. I am going to give you some links to other
Google Answers and whilst not directly dealing with your question,
should provide some entertaining reading.
Have a look at the following link. The questioner is obviously a
marketer and there are two interesting things here, firstly she makes
a statement to ask a question and secondly, she uses an esoteric word
so that those who respond have to guess what is really wanted. The use
of more everyday vocabulary might have provided her with more useful
information.
Subject: Teambuilding using wine as a theme
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=457876
See also:
Owning the definitions, controlling the mind
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=401338
This is a discussion of how cults use language to suck people in and
then trap them.
My particular favourite is the ?Changing Minds? site.
There are over 1600 pages of this so you can dip in and out wherever
you find an interesting bit. It deals with everything from sales
closing techniques to propaganda to conversion techniques (religions,
cults or anything that changes a person?s philosophy or outlook on
life).
http://changingminds.org/index.htm
In the UK at least, several years ago there was a move toward the use
of ?Plain Language? in official government forms and documents. You
won?t find anymore, ?hence to forth? and ?albeit notwithstanding?.
Now they just ask you what they want to know or tell you what they
want you to know ? simply.
This was certainly a move in the right direction.
Hope this helps as a start to your search.
Cf. |
