The consequences of polarization

A few days ago I was having lunch with my dear friend Simon, who happens to be a senior content strategist as well as a financial writer and editor with a prestigious British firm. Given the fact that he is gorgeously articulate and considering our commons interests it should come as no surprise that we soon found ourselves discussing the current political climate in the English-speaking world (the Canadian controversy involving professor Jordan Peterson, the troubles of the Trump administration and, of course, the messy Brexit negotiations). It was in the context of that conversation that I learnt about a new trend which appears to be shaping the political debate in the UK... something that may actually affect the very language you are studying.

I have often told you how the devil is in the details. Indeed that old proverb is particularly apt when it comes to describing the process of learning a foreign language to a high standard. As you know, the advanced level consists of thousands of tiny little factors that ultimately make it all sound complex, nuanced and natural. One of the most resilient features of the kind of English that Spanish students show in a C1 class, though, has to do with the way they frame their thoughts. I have made no bones about my stance regarding the Spanish proclivity to dispense with all those filters that may soften the impact of a blunt statement. Remember the difference between the sentences below:

I think you should see a doctor about that nose

Vete al médico, que esa nariz tiene mala pinta

The two "softeners" (i.e. I think and you should) offer a stark contrast to the terseness of a direct order (vete). Many English speakers tend to express uncertainty and usually voice their opinions with a certain degree of caution (I suppose that...). You may argue that every culture/language expresses politeness and caution in different ways and that is absolutely true. However, the one thing we cannot afford to do is to extrapolate those Spanish quirks to the way we express ourselves in a second language. Certain turns of phrase that are perfectly acceptable in Spanish may come across as belligerent, rude or just simplistic in English, which is why I have tirelessly stressed the importance of expressions such as it seems to be, it might be, etc. instead of resorting to good old it is. Also I have often explained that a speaker who is always one hundred percent sure about everything they say sounds like someone that doesn't even consider the possibility that they might ever be wrong. The problem with such speakers is that they are not exactly open to being convinced. So an unavoidable question arises: why should we try and exchange ideas with a person who cannot possibly be persuaded?

I mention all this because, as Simon informed me, the healthy respectful approach to expressing opinions is also under threat in the United Kingdom. Apparently, whilst many native English speakers still use phrases like I suspect, I dare say, from what I can gather, that may be the case, etc. the current political discourse is becoming increasingly "Spanish". So I asked him to summarize his personal take regarding this subject in the video below. Notice how he says that this change is happening "to some extent" due to the polarization of the public debate. Isn't it sad how politics affect language usage?

N.B. C1.1 students: we will do the first listening exercise for the progress report on Wednesday in Laredo and on Thursday in Castro.