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Words of power that obfuscate or deceive
Thread poster: Tom in London
Anton Konashenok
Anton Konashenok  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 13:05
French to English
+ ...
Here is a somewhat broader list Mar 20, 2021

Lake Superior State University has been publishing its annual Banished Word List for several decades, and a large fraction of it is made of the words of obfuscation and deception.

Besides the words themselves, one can use the sentence structure for this purpose. The most popular trick is the use of passive voice, as in "mistakes have been made".

Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Barbara Carrara
Zibow Retailleau
 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 13:05
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Good point, ... Mar 20, 2021

Anton Konashenok wrote:
The most popular trick is the use of passive voice, as in "mistakes have been made".

... because (as in translation) it's not all about "words" only, but about how you use them and in what manner. Tom's Twitter list may be a good tool to list up certain words and phrases, but to complete everything the whole story behind has to be told and the complex setting, why they deceive and seem to spoil a concept (or virus) called language. That's how I came to quote the above link leading to Schopenhauer.

Anton Konashenok
MollyRose
P.L.F. Persio
 
Philip Lees
Philip Lees  Identity Verified
Greece
Local time: 14:05
Greek to English
Old favourites Mar 21, 2021

Chris S wrote:

I’m not a Twit, so I can’t read the thread, but I hope there’s no suggestion that this is anything new.

Different words, same manipulation, same oppression.


Yeah, like some good old English favourites, like "East is East and West is West", "White man's burden", and other such stuff as I was fed in my formative years. It isn't the words; it's the way they're used.

I reckon you could take pretty much any word or phrase and abuse it in a way that would make it manipulative or deceptive.

In fact, that would be a great party game for translators. Anybody care to start?

P.L.F. Persio
Barbara Carrara
Zibow Retailleau
 
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Words of power that obfuscate or deceive






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