Sending the English Language into Battle

Recently, my friend and I were discussing the merits of the English language. He is not a native English speaker, and we were talking about the differences between Spanish and English, especially because he thinks that English can have entirely capricious and arbitrary grammatical rules. This got me thinking about the virtues and advantages of English and how too few intelligence analysts marshal the power of the complex yet beautiful language. From literature to poetry to speeches, English can be extraordinarily powerful in its ability to uplift the spirit while stimulating the intellect. Analysts need to study English in all its intricacy if they want to communicate effectively about difficult subjects ranging from geopolitics to macroeconomics. Therefore, this week we will go through the brilliance of English so analysts can appreciate it and then apply its utility.

Vocabulary

To start, English has an extraordinary vocabulary because it is the amalgamation of Latin and German, which gives variety to many concepts and feelings. Latinate words often have more syllables and appeal to our intellect while Germanic words are emotive, straight forward, and shorter. When trying to express sadness, for example, the kinds of words that can be used provide nuance to the specificity of feelings. Morose refers to being gloomy and ill tempered; melancholy is a sadness that is pensive in nature; woe is tremendous sorrow; misery is distress and discomfort; desolation is emptiness and loneliness. All of these are synonyms for sadness, but they convey more specific feelings.

Of course, the other brilliant aspect to English vocabulary is its ability to simply incorporate words for which there are no direct translations. Chutzpa. Schadenfreude. Ennui. Feng shui. Avatar. While languages like Japanese and Tagalog incorporate loanwords similarly to English, the vast majority of languages do not do this, which is a limitation for them. [France is quite famous for officially not allowing loanwords into the language to maintain its purity.]

Language orients the self to the world in important ways, which is why understanding vocabulary and etymology is vital (this is called the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). A famous example of this is the Aboriginal language of the Kuuk Thayorre people in Australia in which they do not have words for “left” and “right” because they are entirely oriented through cardinal directions (north, south, east, west). E.g., “The salt is southwest to your hand.” According to researchers, this has led the Kuuk Thayorre to be constantly aware of north while so many others are not. Consider how the approach of English establishes one’s worldview when it comes to time. English allows people to speak in past, present, and future in a way that gives native speakers a major temporal orientation (e.g., "I will have had written the essay" is not a phrase easily translatable).

Speeches

Understanding how and when to use the particulars of English vocabulary can significantly improve one’s communication in speech and writing, particularly when one knows their audience well. That is where orators in English can truly inspire others, and it was the genius of men like Sir Winston Churchill who crafted his speeches with Germanic words to evoke emotions in his listeners. One of Churchill’s greatest speeches was in June 1940 when he inspired the nation to continue in World War II. Famously, he declared before Parliament, “We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…”

Notice the drumbeat of his language, drawing the listener into the war by consistently declaring over and over that they would fight. It builds and builds so that the listener completes their willingness to go on through the difficulties, but then it turns and ends with the only “never,” a jarring reminder of what will not happen. Concerning these speeches, Edward R. Murrow stated in his recording on the prime minister’s war speeches, “Now the hour had come for him to mobilize the English language, and send it into battle, a spearhead of hope for Britain and the world. We have joined together some of that Churchillian prose. It sustained. It lifted the hearts of an island of people when they stood alone.” Anyone can observe how the particulars of the English language allowed Churchill to give that kind of speech. This kind of speech would be more difficult to convey in other languages as they cannot combine the kind of vocabulary mentioned above.

Literature and Poetry

English literature and poetry are considered some of the greatest in the historical canon, and these works could only have come from the English language. Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allen Poe, William Blake, Jane Austen, Walt Whitman, Geoffrey Chaucer, the Pearl Poet, Christopher Marlowe, Jonathan Swift… There are too many to fully list, but the novels and poems the English language have to offer are powerful because of how they can be communicated. Of course, the greatest author of the English language and the greatest playwright and poet in history is William Shakespeare, and no other language could have produced the Bard. His mastery of the language and ability to coin new words and phrases made him invaluable and sui generis. No one anywhere could match the beauty of his writing in English. Such examples…

• Hamlet considering suicide in his soliloquy: “To be, or not to be: that is the question:/Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/ And by opposing end them. To die: to sleep;”
• Macbeth lamenting the queen’s death: “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,/ And then is heard no more. It is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ Signifying nothing.”
• Sonnet 116 describing love: "Let me not to the marriage of true minds/ Admit impediments; love is not love/ Which alters when it alteration finds,/ Or bends with the remover to remove./ O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark/ That looks on tempests and is never shaken;/ It is the star to every wand'ring bark/ Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.”

There is also the political literature that English expresses in a manner unlike other languages. America's Declaration of Independence summarized the Colonies views with the statement: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The sublime expression of political values in that sentence is only found in Enlightenment English.

Limitations of English

Although English has demonstratable benefits in prose and poetry, there are some areas that other languages have superiority. English cannot possibly produce the lyrical call to prayer in Arabic, the exuberance of an opera in Italian, the technicality of German precision, the gracefulness of Spanish literature, or the drama in Japanese anime. Each language has its own ability to produce literature unique to their culture. For example, I would argue that Gabriel Garcia Marquez as an author could only have come from Spanish, and Dante’s magisterial poem could only have come from Italian. Those languages allowed the authors to convey the emotions, ideas, and philosophies particular to those works of art.

One of the other limitations of English can also be found in certain emotional language. Notice for example how “love” cannot be easily distinguished in English. I love ice cream. I love my mother. I love my best friend. I love my wife. All of these are different kinds of loves, but the same word is used. In Spanish, one can differentiate between love for friends (te quiero) and love for family/spouse (te amo). Quite famously, Greek has several words for love: eros, philos, agape, and storge. [Sanskrit allegedly has 96 words for love.] In English, you can say you adore, admire, desire, support, or care for someone, but those verbs can apply to any type of love. Some emotions might be better conveyed in English, but love is not one of them.

The Power of Language

Language determines our reality, shaping our minds, inspiring our souls, and strengthening our hearts. Intelligence analysts especially need to grasp how to use language to successfully support and help their clients. Effective communication requires knowing the right words to use in different situations, but there is more to that than being a good analyst. Too many in the discipline want to use stilted sentences and boring words. Some view this as a strength because intelligence needs to be easily consumable, and in certain circumstances that is needed. Tactical intelligence needs to be short and to the point. But when giving lectures on security topics or briefs to clients or writing strategic assessments, knowing how to turn a phrase, use mellifluous language, and delineate complex ideas can make the analyst far more efficacious and impactful.

Learn from the great authors, writers, speakers, and poets of the English language and appreciate its unique and potent ability to express ideas and feelings. Remember to “mobilize the English language, and send it into battle.”