Context is everything

Inclusive language and the importance of word choice

Do you ever think about where words come from? Who gets to decide what sounds make a word, and what word is used to reference a particular place or thing? 

As a kid, left with only my imagination to answer such big questions, I concluded that Christopher Columbus, exploring the “wilderness” of “America,” had the honor of naming the new plants and animals he “discovered,” and thus was the beginning of language. 

Thanks, US public education.

Language evolves out of communities as they collectively identify the need to have a reference to an object, feeling, experience…

There are hundreds of new words added to the dictionary every year, which have come out of a new need. Think greenwash; laggy; etc. 

Words are created and recreated organically among communities and groups, and, with the internet, new words and phrases are rapidly and widely shared across the world. 

OK – why should I care?

Because language matters. Language is power. 

I realize I’m only able to expertly speak from the perspective of a native English speaker – particularly, American English. But I’ve anecdotally found it true that most languages have multiple words that refer to the same concept. A simple example we use all the time in the Midwest is ‘pop’ versus ‘soda,’ ‘soft drink,’ or simply ‘Coke.’ This is a benign example, but I’m sure you can imagine some of the more significant instances where the word you choose to use, as opposed to another word with the same meaning, carries a subliminal message. 

That’s because of connotation. Everyone who has learned a second language has experienced many a blunder when using the right-yet-wrong word that they didn’t know had a certain connotation. 

It’s even happened to me with my own language. 

Growing up, I loved reading textbooks about animals. At the dinner table one night, I referred to a female dog as a “bitch” – the adults in the room burst out into laughter. I remember someone comforting me in my confusion about what punchline I missed. I wasn’t wrong for using the word “bitch” – I just used the wrong word for the setting.

The words we use must be carefully chosen because their underlying connotations are incredibly powerful. 

In recent years, the concept of inclusive language has emerged. There has been a push – particularly in the West – for more sensitivity to language in terms of connotations and context. 

I’ve spent many years as a communications consultant for United Nations organizations. A word I often come across in my work is the word ‘stakeholder.’ Of course, people know it as a rather boring word for someone who has an interest in a certain matter, particularly in terms of business. For some groups, however, the word ‘stakeholder’ has colonial connotations. It has been used in settler contexts who were literal holders of wooden stakes that they used to claim land. 

To make matters even more complicated, there’s the potential for words that traditionally have a negative connotation – particularly those meant to degenerate a certain group of people – that have been reclaimed by said group. Reclamation of words is central to many movements, from civil rights to feminist groups. 

Language rapidly evolves, particularly now with the use of social media, so the ‘right’ word can quickly become ‘wrong,’ and vice versa.

While most people would agree that this is a mostly positive trend, there’s also the negative side, which we call virtue signaling (which, by the way, was added to Merriam-Webster in 2022).

Knowing the right words to use is seen as indicative of the kind of person you are. Using one word over another is used to show a person’s much deeper affiliations – you can know a lot about a person just from one word they choose to use. Wild, huh?

What’s really wild is that the ‘right’ word can become the ‘wrong’ one in a short period of time. This became clear to me when I moved abroad – it’s difficult to keep up with the lingo when you’re removed from your native community. 

What does inclusive language and the evolution of language have you do with your business?  

Short answer: Everything.

The way you approach potential clients (pitch packs and email marketing).

The words you use to describe your business (brand messaging).

The way you talk about your business (brand voice).

Shall I go on?

Frankly – whether you care about using inclusive language or not isn’t the point.

What’s important is that you’re fully conscious about the words you choose to use, and how these may or may not resonate with your target audience. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how to use inclusive language in your work, check out some of these resources:

• Diversity Style Guide – Helping media professionals write with accuracy and authority Diversity style guide.

• Conscious Language + Design – Conscious Style Guide Conscious style guide.

• [PDF] Elements of Indigenous Style by Gregory Younging eBook | Perlego Indigenous style.

• Inclusive Language Guidelines (apa.org) Consult for up-to-date examples of terms to avoid.