Mean what you say

Our supermarkets are full of language that does just the opposite. For years I used to buy a ‘light’ olive oil thinking it was lower in fat, only to discover that the lightness actually referred to its colour. I almost bought a coffee substitute that offered ‘real coffee taste’. Naturally, the word ‘taste’ appears in miniscule six-point type. 

‘Flavour’ is another marketing favourite with our food manufacturers, particularly when it comes to fruit. So many products boast ‘real fruit’ in large letters, only to clarify with the word ‘flavour’ in reversed-out, yellow-on-white type underneath. And eating ‘real fruit flavour’ is nowhere near the same as eating ‘real fruit’.

Look closely at the products in your shopping trolley. You will find that many of them use a similar sleight of design. They prominently say one thing, while the reality is something else. 

Of course, as consumers, we have the choice to walk away from that conversation by not buying the product. At other times, we cannot answer back this way. If I had walked away from my doctor, for example, I wouldn’t be walking around today. 

It is only when our public language both says what is means, and means what it says, that it will equalise the participation of writers and readers, of listeners and speakers and in our daily conversation, that is exactly what an ethical public language should strive to do.