Language commenting on political matters is always deliberately chosen to suit the political motivations of the speaker or writer. This is true both in public language used by politicians, and in commentary by journalists and news organisations.
Politicians communicating in public will choose their words carefully, favouring positively connoted language when referring to themselves, their party and their policies. When speaking about their political opponents, they will choose language that casts them in a negative light.
In June 2021, Liberal Party NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced harsh restrictions in Sydney due to a new Covid outbreak. However, she initially refused to use the term 'lockdown', fearing that it carried negative connotations, and would also be associated with the Labor Party's similarly harsh restrictions. Instead, she used the expression 'stay at home order' which, in practice, amounted to the same thing.
Above, Journalist Josh Butler jokes about Berejiklian's lexical choice by comparing it to examples of regional variation. However, the motivations behind her refusal to use 'lockdown' were certainly political rather than geographical.
The media is also particular in its choice of language when reporting on politics. Here, local Labor Party MP Jackson Taylor comments on some of the lexical choice by the media in relation to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' Covid restriction policies, labelling their commentary 'alarmist' and 'offensive'.
Keep an eye on the type of language being used in each of the major newspapers in regards to government policy. Depending on the views of the journalists and editors, lexical choice will vary!
Also keep an eye on the register of language being used by politicians in their social media posts.
Here, Taylor replies to Liberal Party MP Georgie Crozier with 'if ya mate Scotty could get his shit together'. His use of colloquial and taboo language comes across as disrespectful to both Crozier and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Discuss: Is this kind of language appropriate for public communication between Australian politicians?
Comments