Author | Justin Burnett |
Don’t worry if you have absolutely no clue what this article is about just by reading the title. In fact, if you don’t, then you’ve experienced the entire crux of this article. I spent around an hour thinking up and looking up all those big M words to use in the title, specifically so that it would be as vague, nice-sounding, and confusing as it is.
I bet you’re wondering why exactly I would go to all that trouble to make something that is essentially the complete opposite of what a good article title should be. The simple answer is, to illustrate my point. What exactly is the point? Great question! Read on and find out ;).
I’m no stranger to persuasion, to trying to make a point or convince someone of your side. After all, I’m a debater, a Christian, and a member of the journalism club. Three groups that require no small dose of persuasion and an ability to articulate your positions. I say this not to toot my own horn, but to simply establish the context that I have for writing this article.
Lately, I’ve been noticing more and more a trend of being magniloquent in a lot of important areas and that is incredibly concerning to me. Magniloquent is an adjective that means “Speaking in a lofty or grandiose style; bombastic.” I discovered this word some time ago in a word of the day newsletter that I got, and ever since then, it’s been my favorite word. It’s so interesting because of the irony it creates. People who use the word magniloquent are usually being magniloquent by using it! They could just say, “stop using fancy words” but instead it’s, “Cease being magniloquent!”
So what’s the problem? So, someone uses some big words, no big deal! The problem is magniloquence is used as an evasive tactic. I know this because I certainly have been guilty of it in debate. If you don’t really know how to explain something or beat an argument, use a bunch of really complicated and nice-sounding terms to confuse the judge into believing you. It sounds ridiculous, but what’s more astounding is how often it works.
This happens in politics ALL the time. Ever hear a politician talk about an issue for 30 minutes and at the end you still have no clue what their stance is? Oxford publishes an entire political dictionary because of all the terms that they use. The most recent edition has over 1500 words and terms in it.
That’s especially concerning for two reasons. Firstly, politicians are supposed to be representing the people and doing our will. So the fact that they either can’t or don’t want to articulate their position to the voters, on important issues is incredibly worrying. Secondly, this trend makes it increasingly difficult to exercise our collective duty to be informed citizens, because we have to cut through all the nonsense that is constantly spewed at us and filter out what’s true and what’s false and what’s actually being said.
So, in this article, I will attempt to explain and examine how to spot malicious magniloquence and cut through the noise to reach the heart of an issue. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
There are three essential steps to spotting and understanding magniloquent speech. The good news is, you’ve already accomplished the first one! That’s because the first step to identifying a run-around or non-answer is to be on the lookout. I know that seems like a “DUH Justin” moment, but it’s actually really crucial. The reason so many people get away with this so often is because people aren’t on the lookout for it.
To constantly be on the lookout for this type of useless rhetoric, you must employ a vital tool called Active Listening. Active listening is the art of simultaneously hearing, processing, and analyzing information. This type of listening requires your full attention and often more than one sense as well. Observing someone’s body language and facial expressions can give important clues as to their true meaning and beliefs. All that seems like a daunting task but it’s really not that hard, the hard part is doing it consistently.
For example, let’s say your teacher is telling you in class what’s gonna be on the quiz next week. That’s when everyone perks up and really start listening. You hear what they say, that’s the first step. But you also at the same time process the information and apply it to your memory so you know what to study. The third process of analyzing happens when you also consider what they didn’t say and determine whether that’s stuff that won’t be on the test or will be on the test but will be a surprise. Congratulations, you just engaged in active listening! However, let’s say it’s the class before lunch and your teacher is talking 5 minutes before class lets out. You are probably slouched in your chair, listening but not really taking in any info (Sorry teachers!). That’s passive listening, where you only hear information and don’t process or analyze it.
So we all already have the ability to listen actively and practice it to some extent, it’s simply a matter of using that ability more consistently and constantly.
The second step is to remember the root. The key way that magniloquence works is by getting listeners caught up in how nice and flowery and smart the statements seem so that people forget or ignore the actual substance of the statements and what was actually said. When that happens, speakers are able to change the subject and avoid answering questions. So it’s not enough to only active listen and analyze what has been said, it’s also necessary to know what should have been said. That’s why it’s important to recall the root of whatever you are listening to or reading.
Have you ever seen a military movie where there’s a ship, submarine, plane, or car chase or fight and the navigator yells “MISSILES INCOMING, EVASIVE MANEUVERS!!”? That’s exactly what occurs in a savvy politician’s head when they hear a tough question or have to address a thorny issue. Their number one priority is to avoid taking flak at all costs.
Take this all too common situation, for example. Your local congressman is answering a question about a new tax increase and somehow ends up talking about global warming! That’s probably a telltale sign that magniloquence has occurred. What they say about global warming may be totally legitimate, but if it’s not what they are supposed to be talking about then they’ve pulled the classic bait and switch. Always referring back to the original purpose of the statement will help you to identify this type of evasive maneuver.
The final step to dissecting bombastic language is to simplify. Let’s go back to the definition of magniloquent. It was “Speaking in a lofty or grandiose style;” essentially, using big, complicated sounding words to impress people. So, naturally, the easiest way to remove the power that a magniloquent speaker has over you is to force simplicity. As you listen, don’t just take the words at face value, but seek to reduce the words to their clearest, simplest form.
In debate, a general rule of thumb for writing a persuasive case is to read it to a kid and if they can’t understand it then you need to simplify more. It helps to apply the same concept here. Ask yourself, could an 8 year old grasp what’s being said? When you simplify statements that way, they become much clearer and you are able to discern what’s actually being said.
So far, we have covered what magniloquence is and the three steps to identifying it and still getting to the core of a statement. First, be on the lookout; practice active listening. Second, remember the root; always keep in mind what should be said versus what is being said. Third, always simplify; reword any statement until it is clear enough that a kid will understand it. So now, let’s put into practice those steps on a real life example!
In 2016, the Prime Minister of the UK, Theresa May, gave an interview to a reporter about Brexit. Peter Bull a linguistic psychologist and professor analyzed the interview and found that she gave a straight answer only 14% of the time! That’s astounding how much avoidance she got away with! So let’s examine one of her answers to apply the principles jsut covered.
When asked whether she would allow Scotland to hold a second referendum (essentially a nationwide vote) on becoming independent from England, this was her response. She said, “I don’t think it’s a question of whether there could be a second referendum, it’s whether there should be a second referendum.” On the surface that seems like a pretty straightforward answer, but when we dig deeper it is really more complex.
First, analyzing her statement we come to the understanding that by asking whether there should be a second referendum, she calls into question the legitimacy of a Scottish referendum. By omission, it seems that she does not support a Scottish referendum, but she managed to avoid actually saying so. She also turned it from a question of specifics to vague question about general reasoning.
More comes to light when we remember the root though. Recall that she was asked whether or not she WOULD prevent another Scotland referendum. Yet, she acted like the question was whether there COULD be another one and not only that, but then changed that question into whether there SHOULD be another referendum. Truly masterful manipulation, but not helpful to a citizen who actually wants to hear her stance.
Finally, we simplify her statement down to it’s true form. Basically, she said something like this, “I don’t think we need to focus on whether I will let another vote happen, instead we need to question why we need another vote.” That is a much more clear statement, one that actually reveals her true position on the vote, which is probably why she didn’t just say that.
Everyday citizens like you and me see this type of manipulation and magniloquence from our public officials on a daily basis. What’s even more concerning than the prevalence of these tactics, however, is the regularity with which they work and people fall for them. The primary responsibility we have as a citizen of a democratic republic, in return for all our rights, is to be informed citizens. That’s key in electing good, trustworthy leaders and also in keeping those we put in power accountable.
Hopefully, this article has been helpful to you in diagnosing the problem of magniloquent people and providing an effective treatment method. Now, it’s all of our responsibility to go forth and apply these tools in order to exercise our duties as responsible citizens of the United States of America. Go, Fight, WIN