The connection between language and conflict is not as far removed from the social sciences, including game theory, as many think. Some scholars have already provided critical insights into the political economy of language, such as Princeton University’s Stephen Morris on political correctness. But there is much more to be done, particularly on the connection between language and conflict. Because what a speaker means and what a listener hears can be very different, language can be an instrument to foment trouble. Much of the problem stems from the fact that the real world is extremely varied and granular, whereas language is coarse by comparison.

Source: Sunday Times July 24, 2019 19:41 UTC