Language Imperialism - by John Rowan

"Imperialism wants to take over.  It not only wants to invade the territory, it wants to pacify it.  It hopes to rule, and never to be challenged.  It seems to me that there are people in the world who want to use language in this way. But the point is that it is we who have to use – and sometimes invent – language, not language that has to invent us."

John Rowan maintains that the present tendency in academia is to put language in first place and almost to say that language is all there is.  Closely connected, he considers, with constructivism and, like it, marvellous as a critique of other positions . . . useless if you want to use it for anything positive.

One can never be entirely sure how far John's tongue reaches into his cheek, but what is as true of this article, as of his others, is that he is never reluctant  to take a position and defend it.

Language - Ambiguity

The fourth instalment of our regular language feature deals with linguistic ambiguity.  A useful working tip in avoiding ambiguity is: never assume that because a thought, a statement, or a sentence is clear to you, it must necessarily be clear to others.