Language: Choice of Words is Important

If you're trying to convince people of something you have to choose the right words. The choice of words can make something sound better than it is.

So changing the words is important to help make your case. One important case is the one about what we should feed our infants. Breasts vs. bottles is an old and ongoing debate. Language in the debate can change everyone's perspective. Watch Your Language! by Diane Wiessinger from the Journal of Human Lactation points out how important language can be.

Now the article is very interesting and has a lot to say about how choosing words is important but... and there is a but. Her view on how men and women handle guilt drives me crazy. If the same paragraphs were written by a man we'd all call the author sexist. That aside the article's main point can be extended to almost any other place where you're trying to choose the right words to make your point.

It's better to make the 'other' option sound second rate than to make 'your' option superior. A lesson on language we can all learn from.