Language in Military Life - Essay Example

Military Life (the dis of tough guys) Language is very important in communication. It gives people a way to express their thoughts. It helps make the workplace efficient and productive. Language is also exclusive. Every group of people has its own language. Sometimes, a group is recognized by the words they use. For example, we say “giggled like a teenager” or “spoken like an expert”. A very good example of an exclusive and important language can be found in the military. The military has its own language. Civilians do not use it because they cannot understand military language. Officers use “good English” for their commands and conversations among themselves. The recruits and lower rank officers at the “club house” use pidgin which is comprised of informal expressions that proves a high level of intimacy. This is the usual set-up of the communication in the military. The men here speak a different language at work than at home. If civilian men are difficult to understand by nature, military men are even more difficult to understand. Each branch of the military also has its own “lingo”. The word “camouflage” uniform is called “cammies” for the Marines and the Navy but “fatigues” for the Army. Each division the military has its own nickname. A jarhead refers to a Marine. They say this is because the head of a marine looks like a jar. A squid is someone from the Navy. The connection is very obvious, I believe. Top Gun refers to an Air Force member. Finally, those in the army are called dogs. By their terms, one can already see how exclusive and proud military men are with regards to their branch of service. Of course there are also some words used by all branches of the military, like CO, which means commanding officer. Brass refers to officers because of the many awards (made of metal) pinned on their uniforms. These pins distinguish them from the members in the lower ranks. AO means area of operation. This is any place you are supposed to work at. Bird does not mean an animal that flies, but a plane. Mess hall or chow hall is their word for dining room. Ultimately, a john wayne is not a person or an actor but a can opener. Indeed, language in the military is something an outsider has to be ready for. Otherwise, an outsider may act according to his interpretation and this might be wrong. There is no specific reason on record for this terminology. The most obvious, possibly, is because men feel they are the elite group. After all, everyone looks up to military personnel. People know it is not an easy task to get inside and stay in this career. Like in any group, topics can be divided into acceptable and taboo. The military also follows this rule. Some acceptable topics include a person’s reason(s) for joining the military. This is usually the ice-breaker question. This may mean others want to find someone who shares the same reasons. Yet, it may also be equivalent to just a polite “hello”. Another topic is about any relationship left back home. This is usually asked while on deployment. There is a story or song about a wife or girlfriend who breaks up with the man during this period. This story is very true in the military. It is a common topic for military men because life in the military is tough on relationships. There are even workshops before military personnel go back home after deployment. The workshops prepare them for situations like divorce. Other topics include the length of stay in the military, each one’s plan for terrorists, past military experiences and the risks of joining the military. Acceptable topics in the military are usually common for every personnel. Most of the topics are about real things. It seems military men do not want to talk about dreams and wishes. Maybe it is not very masculine to talk about dreams and wishes. Also, men are not naturally emotional or sentimental. There are also topics that can’t be discussed. This maybe because of the nature of the topic, the code military men must keep and the image they want to maintain. In a combat environment, they are not allowed to tell anything, even to their families. This is because work matters may be put to risk if shared with non-military. Another taboo topic is sexuality. A military man is perceived to be very masculine. This is why any discussion related to homosexuality may be a very emotional one. Military personnel will not take it lightly. Complaining about military life or an officer is also another forbidden topic. Military life is truly difficult. It is made that way to prepare men so they can endure the hardships in their jobs – death, separation, etc. It is not proper to willingly join the military and complain. It is also not proper to criticize your officer. Hierarchy or chain of command is a very important thing in the military. It is best to just follow orders. Lastly, hazing is another thing that is real but unspoken of in this group. Hazing is something even commanders don’t speak of. In the military, spoken language is just one-half of their means of communication. The other half is non-verbal. A salute is the most obvious one. For the military, this means respect. “Eye-balling” is looking at your officer in the eye. This is unacceptable. The posture of a personnel speaking to an officer is also another example. Even “at ease”, the men have a particular stance to execute. This kind of communication has a bigger role in the combat environment. A wrong signal may cause death or save lives. Language in this circumstance is displayed through raised arms, fists, hand signals, etc. For civilians, the military is a private group. True, anybody can join the military. However, once inside the group, people learn a language exclusively for military use. This language is so particular to the military that civilians don’t understand them. Ranks and duties need to be translated to civilian words so they will be understood. There are dictionaries for this purpose. When personnel decide to look for a job outside the military, they refer to this dictionary in creating their resume. This situation is another proof that military language is unique and private. A civilian can truly feel excluded from a conversation among military men. Truly, language is not only used for communication, verbal or non-verbal. It is also a way of showing respect and honor to one’s fellows and officers. The following anecdote about communication in the military perfectly shows that most spoken language is followed without any questions in the military. However, non-spoken language can also have a much bigger impact. An Army and a Marine General were discussing with a Navy Admiral. They were talking about whose group serves the best & whose personnel are the braver. The Admiral declares his SEALS are the best. He gives his SEAL a task which is completed successfully. The Marine General then orders his Force Recon member to complete a similar task but with more obstacles. The member successfully completes his mission. The Army General then says “Now you’ll see true bravery. He gives the Paratrooper a similar task but with even more obstacles. The Paratrooper looks at the General, then at the obstacles and back at the General. Then, he says, “No way SIR!” salutes and walks away. The two other generals stare at the Army General with their jaws dropped. The General says, “Now gentlemen, that’s BRAVERY.” Alabi, T. (n.d.). Language of the Military: An Appraisal of a Speech Situation of a Man O’ War Parade Rehearsal as a Sociolinguistic Domain. Retrieved on November 8, 2009 from http://www.unilorin.edu.ng/unilorin/publications/alabitaofiq/LANGUAGE%20OF%20THE%20MILITARY%20Dsskette..htm Read More