The Aesthetic of Language
The style, vocabulary, intonation, and presentation of language reveal who we are, what we value, what we want to hide, what we want. The aesthetic of language reveals who we are beyond what we have consciously reflected, beyond what we have explored via self knowledge. Others can see in our words what we care about easier than we can see ourself when we open our mouth to speak and interact. A subjective incident can be universalized: “I can’t meet this obligation because am feeling ill” reveals the speaker is a victim to their circumstances. A subtle “should” shows the way the speaker moralizes others. A denial can confirm: “I don’t care what they think of me” reveals the speaker is focused on their opinion. An “I would like to” shows the way the speaker has dissonance of priorities and likes to present themself as who they are not, to pretend to care. Some phatic niceties are simple indicators to look for the opposite of what is stated: “I wouldn’t want to gossip, but…” “...I’m just saying…” “but don’t take my word for it.” So in critical thinking we consider not just the words that are said, but the choices that are made in what is said, to critically examine what the person is saying about themself.