The language

    Language has too often been examined in isolation from the social and political conditions in which it is used. (John E Joseph, 2013) Joseph’s statement regarding the political component of the functions of language highlights the important role that language can play in maintaining the equilibrium within society. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on how you see the world but my own assertion is that it gravitates towards the latter. Big picture stuff is not really a commodity in 2018 and current language reinforces that. One of the strongest forces in recent language development is ‘mutation’. By this I refer particularly to meaning and the two standout examples are communism and democracy . Both words have evolved meanings which are now directly opposite to those when they were originally formulated. Communism has become a descriptor for tyranny, dictatorship and elites while democracy enjoys quite a different profile when compared to its ini...