NationStates Jolt Archive

I was reading HerPower's thread on pregnancy and power, and I was inspired. Firstly, I was inspired to go knock someone up to see if it would actually give me more power, but I refrained from doing that for various reasons, such as the risk of STD's, etc. :D

Secondly, I was inspired to consider (because of the use of "womyn") the relationship between power and language. In some cultures, a name is believed to hold the power of its designee, and thus people keep their real names a secret so that no one else can hold that power. In cultural warfare, one of the most interesting phenomena is that of changing the names of the places in the conquered lands, as was done to Ireland by England. We name our children, pets, cars, boats, and give our friends nicknames.

Why do we do these things? Does naming actually give us some power over others? Does it merely strengthen ties? Is it all dependent on how the naming is done?

Mostly it just cuts down on the pointing.

Mostly it just cuts down on the pointing.

*points* Hey you! Yeah, the one who can't think of a name. :)

Good question, though I was put off by the HerPower reference at first...

I think names do have power. My people lost their names and had to take Christian ones. We have slowly lost our language when our names for things were changed to English names. With that loss of language has also been lost many of our stories and traditions. As we work hard to reclaim our language and names, we feel as though we are also reclaiming ourselves.

I dunno about the naming thing, but think about politics. That's the crux point where language becomes policy becomes reality. A big part of what happens depends on how things are phrased, parceled, and presented. That's about as close as we get to a magic incantation. But yeah. Language definitely equals power.

*points* Hey you! Yeah, the one who can't think of a name. :)
Zing! :D

Language and Power.... Political Correctness, anybody?

it depends if the person likes other people to know his name or not...if u had loads of people who knew your name but u didnt know theirs would you feel good or bad about that...(could be you just have a bad memory like me) nicknames are more of a personal thing tho. would it be worse if everyone knew and used your nick name. anyways i dont mind people using my nickname "Garth" (shortened everso slightly from Gareth) just as long as i knew them. (over the net tho would be less impersonal) :D

I dunno about the naming thing, but think about politics. That's the crux point where language becomes policy becomes reality. A big part of what happens depends on how things are phrased, parceled, and presented. That's about as close as we get to a magic incantation. But yeah. Language definitely equals power.

It is a little more subtle than that. Surely the language itself does not matter that much, what matters is th connotations that are attached to some words.

IRA = Army is a supportable wholesome resistance force.
IRA = Terrorists, Evil nasty people that we are at war with.

There is no power in the word terrorist itself, there is a power in the associations that are made by the word.

This is the principle behind PC. I, however disagree strongly with the PC arguments as al that happens is that the connotation moves with the denotation. Where there are changes in connotations of a term this is due to changes in perception, values, education, cuture. Not due to changing a word.

If you believe that the term woman is derogatory to women, than changing it will not change the circumstances, it just makes spelling more complicated.

Language and Power.... Political Correctness, anybody?

I've never really thought about PC in those terms before. Excellent point, SP. :)

It's all about personification to me. People will give names to pets and inanimate objects to signify that they are something special. Like nicknaming ones car (my mom calls her new Subaru "Sliver Bell" :p ) Or nicknaming ones weapon (Excalibur anyone?)

As for nicknames to people. I look upon those as something that needs to be earned. One cannot make a nickname for themselves, it must be given by another, and more often than not, it is by accident.

It's all about personification to me. People will give names to pets and inanimate objects to signify that they are something special. Like nicknaming ones car (my mom calls her new Subaru "Sliver Bell" :p ) Or nicknaming ones weapon (Excalibur anyone?)

As for nicknames to people. I look upon those as something that needs to be earned. One cannot make a nickname for themselves, it must be given by another, and more often than not, it is by accident.

Aye :D

Of course, words have power. If I were to call someone a dumbass, that may trigger negative feelings. It has nothing to do with the word it self, but what it represents.

In HerPower's case, many NSers have viewed her as ridiculous, radical, a femminazi. This is because she changed the spelling of woman to womyn. There's nothing about the spelling, in and of its self, that's triggering this response. However, it's the idea behind it. She is trying to change the spelling because she does not like what it represents or how it's responded to. So the "word" womyn has stirred controversy and negative feelings toward HerPower.