The intended idea of this paper is to understand language as a command or the most powerful ideology through which the mechanism of power and subordination is put into practice. Therefore, language cannot be seen as something that can be used by people to ‘share’ or ‘communicate’ their thoughts coherently with the other, for the very idea of ‘sharing’ and ‘communication’ does not bring out the politics of two identical terms – I and you – which are prominent in everyday speech in which ‘being’ is expected to be identified with the features of imposed categories of ‘binary classificatory system’. Consequently, paper goes on to discuss the very inability to experience ‘communication’ in everyday speech, except in literature through writing.
Table of Contents
1. Language as a Command – Deleuzian study of Society and Power
1.1 Introduction: Language as Ideology
1.2 From Lacanian Signification to Deleuzian Command
1.3 The Binary Classificatory System and Forced Choice
1.4 Identity, Recognition, and Social Ordering
1.5 The Inability to Communicate in Everyday Speech
1.6 Literature as True Communication
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This paper aims to deconstruct the traditional understanding of language as a tool for communication, arguing instead that language functions primarily as a powerful ideological command. By examining Deleuzian philosophy, the research investigates how linguistic structures impose binary categories, enforce social order, and maintain power dynamics that limit genuine human interaction.
- The reconceptualization of language as a command rather than a communicative tool.
- Critique of the binary classificatory system and its role in social repression.
- Analysis of how "identity" is constructed through institutional categorization.
- The dichotomy between everyday "order-words" and the potential for becoming in literature.
Excerpt from the Book
Deleuzian idea on language
Deleuzian idea on language is not about how man is situated in the family under the pressure of his father which prevents his desire for mother’s body, but about the way man is situated under the political repression in socio- political and economic domain. As Deleuze explains, it is the very political repression that comes out as language and it is through this language social institutions practice its power to order, control, and maintain the society. Therefore, Deleuze considers language, not as “the desire for Other”, but as “a Command” through which world is ordered.
Considering Deleuzian idea, language cannot be understood either as the vehicle of thought or as the way to information. It is a command to which everybody should obey. “It is made not to be believed but to be obeyed, and to compel obedience” (Deleuze and Gauttari, 1987: 76). The order-word, the elementary unit of language, can appear as in the form of “the command, the expression of obedience, the assertion, the question, the affirmation or negation”. “When the schoolteacher explains an operation to the children, or when she teaches them grammar, she does not, strictly speaking, give them information, she communicates orders to them, she transmits ‘order-words’ to them, necessary conforming to dominant meanings” (Deleuze and Parnet, 1987: 22).
Summary of Chapters
1. Language as a Command – Deleuzian study of Society and Power: The chapter introduces the core thesis that language acts as a mechanism of power that dictates societal order and individual behavior.
1.1 Introduction: Language as Ideology: Establishes language as the most potent ideology used to exercise control over subjects.
1.2 From Lacanian Signification to Deleuzian Command: Contrasts the psychoanalytic view of language as desire with the Deleuzian view of language as a political instrument of command.
1.3 The Binary Classificatory System and Forced Choice: Explores how language forces individuals into fixed, binary categories, negating any "in-between" identity.
1.4 Identity, Recognition, and Social Ordering: Discusses how identification processes and social institutions organize human life like a library catalogue.
1.5 The Inability to Communicate in Everyday Speech: Argues that the terms "I" and "you" in daily discourse create power imbalances rather than genuine sharing.
1.6 Literature as True Communication: Proposes that literature allows for an expression of "becoming" that transcends the rigid constraints of everyday linguistic commands.
Keywords
Language, Command, Deleuze, Power, Ideology, Binary Classificatory System, Identity, Communication, Order-words, Subject, Becoming, Literature, Signifier, Signified, Social repression.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines language not as a neutral tool for communication, but as an ideological command that reinforces power structures and social control.
Which theoretical framework does the author apply?
The author primarily utilizes Deleuzian and Guattarian philosophy, while contrasting it with Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalytic perspectives.
What does the author mean by "order-words"?
Order-words are defined as the elementary units of language that transmit commands, enforce obedience, and conform individuals to dominant societal meanings.
How does the binary system function according to the text?
The binary system organizes roles and identities by forcing individuals into mutually exclusive categories (e.g., man/woman, yes/no), thereby eliminating the possibility of being "in-between".
What is the role of literature in this analysis?
Literature is presented as a space where the inherent nature of "becoming" can be experienced, offering an alternative to the rigid, command-based language of everyday life.
What is the author's argument regarding "identity"?
Identity is viewed as a label or a rack-position in society, used by power structures to categorize and control individuals effectively.
How does the author define the "I" and "you" relationship?
The author argues that in everyday speech, these terms establish a hierarchy of agent and patient, creating an environment of giving and receiving rather than true intellectual or emotional sharing.
Why is the "binary classificatory system" described as a threat to thought?
It forces individuals to accept fixed categories without thinking, thereby maintaining the "order of discourse" and preventing the exploration of alternatives.
Does the text view everyday communication as successful?
No, the text posits that because everyday language is a system of commands, it inherently fails to achieve genuine "sharing" or "communication" between subjects.
- Citar trabajo
- Sanjay Kaushal (Autor), 2015, Language as a Command, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/288547
