love the Deleuze/Guattari application -- so fascinating the way our language is constantly bending with power and then bouncing back as people use it. They can never fully centralize, control, etc... we just gotta hope that one of these mots de passe ends up being a spark that catches and helps change the order into something better, maybe
I love your articles and use them as proof to the naysayers that language is an ever evolving living thing. Even when I show them how many words the Oxford English adds and deletes each year, they don’t get it. But “hearing” your words works.
Adam, this was a phenomenal read—thank you for pulling such a nuanced thread between political linguistics, machine-learned language, and vibes. I especially appreciated your application of Deleuze and Guattari’s mots d’ordre and mots de passe—a pairing that I’ve drawn on heavily in my own theoretical framework, CAS-T (Cognitive Affective Sociocultural Theory), which treats language learning and use as a confluence of internalized norms, affective atmosphere, and available semiotic affordances.
What struck me most is your description of how exposure to algorithmically generated or filtered language reshapes what we consider “available” speech in a given moment. This feels deeply aligned with what Terry Eagleton gestures toward in What is Subjectivity? when he proposes that subjectivity is not just shaped through discourse, but through moral technologies—structures that don’t just describe the self but actively produce it. So I wonder: what are your thoughts on the algorithm (or LLMs like ChatGPT) as a moral technology in Eagleton’s sense? Could these be seen as instituting not only linguistic norms but ethical postures—flattening affect, amplifying irony, or overindexing on civility and hedging?
Also: yes, absolutely to memes as mots de passe. They’re playful but insurgent, deeply aware of the constraints of the linguistic system and often existing as tiny acts of sabotage or reframing. In my view, they offer an alternate pedagogy—unofficial, user-driven, and always remixing the language-world around them.
Thanks again for this piece. I’ll be citing it in a few places.
Memes are, by definition, images or phrases that are shared and spread, almost like a virus. And much like viruses, they can be harmful or beneficial. In this context, it's more like sharing antibodies.
Old texts are almost the opposite, as they are not popular, especially now. Getting that vocabulary or mindset to stick outside of academic circles is a very tall ask.
i was trying to share both your articles last week and i couldn’t remember your name to look them up! thank you for this post! both fascinating reads: and i agree, totally related.
love the Deleuze/Guattari application -- so fascinating the way our language is constantly bending with power and then bouncing back as people use it. They can never fully centralize, control, etc... we just gotta hope that one of these mots de passe ends up being a spark that catches and helps change the order into something better, maybe
They can't sell us a better joke than the inside joke we have with ourselves.
I love your articles and use them as proof to the naysayers that language is an ever evolving living thing. Even when I show them how many words the Oxford English adds and deletes each year, they don’t get it. But “hearing” your words works.
Many thanks😁
I didn't know the OED deletes words!
You are correct - they label them obsolete, etc.
Adam, this was a phenomenal read—thank you for pulling such a nuanced thread between political linguistics, machine-learned language, and vibes. I especially appreciated your application of Deleuze and Guattari’s mots d’ordre and mots de passe—a pairing that I’ve drawn on heavily in my own theoretical framework, CAS-T (Cognitive Affective Sociocultural Theory), which treats language learning and use as a confluence of internalized norms, affective atmosphere, and available semiotic affordances.
What struck me most is your description of how exposure to algorithmically generated or filtered language reshapes what we consider “available” speech in a given moment. This feels deeply aligned with what Terry Eagleton gestures toward in What is Subjectivity? when he proposes that subjectivity is not just shaped through discourse, but through moral technologies—structures that don’t just describe the self but actively produce it. So I wonder: what are your thoughts on the algorithm (or LLMs like ChatGPT) as a moral technology in Eagleton’s sense? Could these be seen as instituting not only linguistic norms but ethical postures—flattening affect, amplifying irony, or overindexing on civility and hedging?
Also: yes, absolutely to memes as mots de passe. They’re playful but insurgent, deeply aware of the constraints of the linguistic system and often existing as tiny acts of sabotage or reframing. In my view, they offer an alternate pedagogy—unofficial, user-driven, and always remixing the language-world around them.
Thanks again for this piece. I’ll be citing it in a few places.
It seems intuitive to me that memes are part of the complex and the antidote is more in old books and texts.
Why do you think memes are more powerful than the old texts? Is it because they have a more communal feel?
Memes are, by definition, images or phrases that are shared and spread, almost like a virus. And much like viruses, they can be harmful or beneficial. In this context, it's more like sharing antibodies.
Old texts are almost the opposite, as they are not popular, especially now. Getting that vocabulary or mindset to stick outside of academic circles is a very tall ask.
The reason is because?
I read that trumpspeak might possibly be the easier most digestable way to get across information to the masses. And I can see that unfortunately.
Are countries outside of America experiencing this same phenomena?
Love this! I have definitely noticed the changes in language, and also think the ‘vibe’ concept could be applied to code-switching?
i was trying to share both your articles last week and i couldn’t remember your name to look them up! thank you for this post! both fascinating reads: and i agree, totally related.