From her New Jersey home, Leslie Savan, a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism, a 13-year veteran of a Village Voice advertising column, and author of Slam Dunks and No-Brainers: Language in Your Life, the Media, Business, Politics, and, Like, Whatever, describes how popular language shapes how we speak, think, and even behave.
In your book, you use the term “pop” to describe a particular type of language. What is pop and how is different from plain-old slang?
Pop is different from plain-old slang in a couple of ways. Slang is language that comes from the street, and it is usually fresh and newly minted. A lot of pop is based on slang, but pop speech is also made up of perfectly ordinary words that are very permanent like “don't go there” or “hello.” It's the inflection, the way they're said with attitude, that makes these phrases enter the realm of what I'm calling pop. The other thing that pop has that is different from simple slang or jargon is that none of that becomes pop unless it gets picked up by a mass audience, unless the media picks up on it in commercials or talk shows or movies or sitcoms. Then it's used and distributed widely, and regular people start saying it with a new cachet -- it acquires a new glamour and a new persuasiveness.
What are some of the most obvious examples of pop language?
“Bring it on,” which, of course, was used by George W. Bush about Iraqi insurgents. Of course, after he said that, they did indeed bring it on; there was an escalation in attacks right after he said it. The strongest example of pop language, and one of the most egregious, is how former CIA director George Tenet used “slam dunk” to persuade Bush, Dick Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice that finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq would be easy. There was a big meeting in the Oval Office in which Tenet's CIA deputy, John McLaughlin, laid out a detailed presentation trying to prove not just that there were weapons of mass destruction, but that we could convince the American public. He had satellite photos, numbers, and statistics, all the tools of that trade. Bush said, “Are you sure this is something that Joe Public would understand?” And only at that point did Tenet jump off of the couch where he had been sitting rather quietly, stand up, make a basketball gesture by throwing his arms up in the air, and say, “Don't worry, it's a slam dunk case.” After that, the room did sort of a 180 and started to believe. It was based on this phrase. The power of this phrase came because it was familiar and it held a power and a glamour.
Are there phrases and words that you particularly like or particularly despise?
Despise is a little strong, but “I don't think so,” really grates on me. “Duh,” likewise. And “whatever,” when it's said as a dismissive put down. “Duh” grates because it's saying that everyone knows something is obvious and you are just a big loser for bothering to detail it, for bothering to observe something; you're on the loser side and I, with millions of others, am on the wining side. Whenever there's a winner or loser quality, those are the kinds of phrases that grate the most.
As far as pop words or phrases that I really like, I do have my favorites. “Blah, blah, blah,” I really like -- it sounds earthy and muddy and real to me in some way -- whereas I can't say “yadda, yadda, yadda,” which sounds kind of snooty and dismissive.
Are there different categories of pop language?
The one biggest category is the put-down. Like “stick a fork in him, he's done,” or “not even close,” “yeah right,” “whatever,” “I'll be your worst nightmare,” and “don't even think about it.”
Also there's what is often called PC language, politically correct language. Community is probably the major PC-ish word that the right uses just as much as the left. They use hate-based language which began in the civil rights movement. They use diversity. They do that because these words have a moral quality to them; they take those words and imbue them with their own so-called moral values. Another category that I loved looking at is what I called populist pop, the language we associate with the “regular guy.” There's a whole sort of pop that implies that some people are so regular and so normal that we all sort of aspire to convey that, especially during elections. Those kind of phrases would include the word “guy” itself. The little word “hey,” for instance: it can level the playing field in anything and make you all sound like you are a regular guy even if you are saying something sort of obnoxious or elitist.
Is the phenomenon you describe a specifically modern occurrence, or has it always occurred?
There's always been slang in every civilization throughout history, and there have always been popular catchphrases. What I am saying that makes it qualitatively different now is that in the last 50 or 60 years of the television era, we have so much more media that is more ferociously trying to get attention. The media needs language that really cuts through the clutter; they are fighting more ferociously for the attention of people who are more distracted and busy than ever. Marketing and media more desperately need language that stops us in our tracks and makes us more likely to buy whatever they are selling.
What are your concerns about the use of pop language?
My main concern is that it can convince us of a point based not on the merits of that argument, or whether something is even true or not, but just on how catchy it sounds. Too many of these phrases can just swamp a fact-based argument because they're so familiar and because they have the sound of so much power behind them. Another thing wrong with pop language is that sometimes it just serves as thought replacement; it closes the door to further nuances or even to the desire to discuss something in a more subtle and complex way. With this sort of snappy, deal-closer so readily accessible in our lives, sometimes that's used to stop what can be a more interesting, subtle discussion.
What's the positive side of pop language?
When we have a presidency that has lied its way through war and lied its way through a lot of things, sometimes what cuts through it best is a real sharp pop phrase. Like, you go “Yeah, right,” when you hear Cheney say “The insurgency is in its last throes.” You need strong language, internally in your brain as well as in your mouth, to cut through that and to convey to people quickly and powerfully that those are lies. Pop language does this very well.
What can be done about the problems caused by an overuse of pop language?
We all speak it, and we're not going to stop speaking it. I think the main thing, again, is to be aware of it. I think if you sort of step back from it with a little detachment and sort of listen to yourself, then you can try to ascertain whether you are too hooked on pop. Do you sniff out a sales component in the language? Do you ever get a sour taste in your mouth from your own ironic comebacks? And perhaps, most importantly, do you secretly hope your words are playing to a phantom crowd? Do you ever use popular phrases to do your thinking for you? If you just start thinking more about those sort of questions as you talk, then you might just naturally start using language that is more specific than the easy way out. If you listen, then you can just sort of step back a little bit. Use a little humor and maybe rephrase what you're thinking. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes it's not necessary. Sometimes pop is just fun.
To see how pop-savvy you are, take the pop talk pop quiz.
Sarah Shemkus is a Prospect intern.
