1. Click to edit Master title style Click to edit Master subtitle style Multi-Agency Peer Workgroup Call: Continuing Discussion on Aging, Disability, & Consumer Choice Terminology June 12, 2008

2. 2 Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis In linguistics, this hypothesis postulates a relationship between the grammatical categories of the language a person speaks and how that person both understands the world and behaves in it. In other words… A language influences the thoughts of its speakers.

3. 3 Fictional Presence of Linguistic Relativity  George Orwell’s 1984 ―“Newspeak” has trimmed and replaced Modern English ―If humans cannot form the words to express the ideas underlying a revolution, then they cannot revolt ―The theory of Newspeak is aimed at eliminating such words ―Bad is replaced by Ungood and the concept of freedom is slowly eliminated over time

4. 4 Does discriminatory language produce discriminatory action?  Words can have a framing effect  Proponents of “political correctness” argue for several goals of inoffensive language ―The rights, opportunities, and freedoms of certain people are restricted because they are reduced to a stereotype. ―Stereotyping largely is implicit, unconscious, and facilitated by the availability of pejorative labels and terms. ―Rendering the labels and terms socially unacceptable, people then must consciously think about how they describe someone unlike themselves. ―When labeling is a conscious activity, the described person's individual merits become apparent, rather than his or her stereotype.  Is cultural change possible via linguistic change?

5. 5 The Euphemism Treadmill  Euphemisms evolve over time into taboo words as connotations change over time  What was once neutral is now negative and offensive Idiot Imbecile Moron Mentally Retarded Person with an intellectual disability ?

6. 6 Does the Treadmill Go Too Far?  George Carlin famously argued that euphemisms can undermine appropriate attitudes towards serious problems.  As the name of the condition becomes more complicated and bland, sufferers of PTSD may be taken less seriously and receive a lower quality of treatment than if they had “shell shock.” Shell Shock Battle Fatigue Operational Exhaustion Post Traumatic Stress Disorder WW IWW 2KoreaVietnam ?

7. 7 Terminology Survey Preliminary Results: The Participants Background or Experience in: Total Number of Respondents = 32 I have encountered miscommunication due to terminology:

8. 8 Terminology Survey Results: What are the five words or terms you find most offensive?  Old (12)  Broker / Support Broker (10)  Mental Retardation / Mentally Retarded (7)  Technician (4)  Frail (4)

9. 9 Terminology Survey Results: What are the five words or terms you find most confusing, unclear, or ambiguous?  Support Broker (7)  Right to Risk (6)  Consumer Direction / Participant Direction (4)  Person Centered Planning (3)  Technician (3)  Navigator (3) Too Euphemistic to be meaningful? Or do we need to do more education about terms? Probably both.

10. 10 Additional Questions to Consider  Have you used the terminology survey or related resources with your ADRC Project members?  Did you find it to be a valuable exercise?  What did you learn?  Next Step for Technical Assistance: ―Issue Brief on Consumer Choice Terminology ―Key Informant Interviews