http://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2008/10/08/%e2%80%9celderspeak%e2%80%9d-guarding-against-condescension-towards-our-clients/ Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:08:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2008/10/08/%e2%80%9celderspeak%e2%80%9d-guarding-against-condescension-towards-our-clients/comment-page-1/#comment-590 Judith McMullen Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:25:52 +0000 http://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/?p=1178#comment-590 You are quite right that this linguistic pattern is directed at groups other than the elderly! It is especially troubling and ironic that doctors and lawyers, who are supposed to use language to communicate, heal and help, are in fact using language to dominate people who may have less social power. You are quite right that this linguistic pattern is directed at groups other than the elderly! It is especially troubling and ironic that doctors and lawyers, who are supposed to use language to communicate, heal and help, are in fact using language to dominate people who may have less social power.

]]> http://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2008/10/08/%e2%80%9celderspeak%e2%80%9d-guarding-against-condescension-towards-our-clients/comment-page-1/#comment-530 David Papke Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:13:46 +0000 http://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/?p=1178#comment-530 I think we frequently speak in comparable ways to other kinds of people with limited power - the poor, immigrants, members of minority groups, etc. As bizarre as it might be, we even seem to speak more loudly to people in these groups. How fascinating (and troubling) it is to realize that something we just take for granted - spoken language - is an instrument in our complex system of dominance. I think we frequently speak in comparable ways to other kinds of people with limited power – the poor, immigrants, members of minority groups, etc. As bizarre as it might be, we even seem to speak more loudly to people in these groups. How fascinating (and troubling) it is to realize that something we just take for granted – spoken language – is an instrument in our complex system of dominance.

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