The use of exclusionary language to manipulate opinion: John Howard, asylum seekers and the reemergence of political incorrectness in Australia

Clyne, Michael

doi:10.1075/jlp.4.2.03cly

Article published In: Journal of Language and Politics
Vol. 4:2 (2005) ► pp.173–196

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The use of exclusionary language to manipulate opinion

John Howard, asylum seekers and the reemergence of political incorrectness in Australia

Michael Clyne | University of Melbourne

Published online: 5 October 2005

https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.4.2.03cly

This article explores the role of language used by the Australian prime minister and other politicians in swaying Australian public opinion against ‘boat people’, focusing especially on particular lexical items. The article contextualizes the representation and treatment of asylum seekers and the language used to do this, both generally in the contemporary period and in the history of Australia as a British outpost in the Pacific. It relates this to other issues expressed linguistically concerning national identity.

Keywords: language of exclusion, language and identity, ‘political correctness’, refugees

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