the state of language and public debate

It's all a question of how you 'frame' your language:
Jay Doubleyou: register
Jay Doubleyou: the language of brexit
Jay Doubleyou: the psychology of lies and why we fall for them
Jay Doubleyou: information wars
Jay Doubleyou: facts don't matter!

The BBC Radio 4 programme Word of Mouth returns to look at these things:

Words Apart

Word of Mouth

Word of Mouth returns with a special programme in which Michael Rosen and guests Marina Warner and Barry Smith discuss the state of language and public debate.

With the rise of the internet there is more political discussion than ever. Yet this torrent of words seems to carry less understanding than ever. 

This has been attributed to many causes. Some say it is the anonymous nature of internet discussions, or the increasing disparity between rich and poor, or even the efficacy with which media (and propaganda) organisations can affect public opinion. 

But possibly the problem lies in language itself. Traditionally, political language has been a shared endeavour through which we express our differences. 

Perhaps now even the language itself has become partisan - words carry profoundly different meanings for different people and the shared understand that public debate relies on is much reduced. 

Two people can share a word - say government or sovereignty - but if the frame of reference for what that word means has become radically different it's hard to find the common ground on which meaningful debate can happen. 

So Michael Rosen and his guests are looking at the state of current political and public debate, delving into the philosophy of language and seeing how words get their meaning in the minds of their users. 

Perhaps, on top of all our other attendant crises, we can claim to be living through a crisis of language.

BBC Radio 4 - Word of Mouth, Words Apart

(From 8 minutes into the programme)
John Locke looked at the question of whether the chess piece has moved:

Description vs Evaluation in language:
What is the difference between evaluative and descriptive adjectives? | Socratic
Evaluative vs Descriptive language | Better Prepared, Better Placements : An Orientation Resource for Student Nurses and their Clinical Supervisors in Specialist Mental Health Settings

It's all about 'ambiguous language':
Jay Doubleyou: english is ambiguous
Jay Doubleyou: ambiguity is everywhere in english
Jay Doubleyou: ambiguity: an overview
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