Asian Studies Undergraduate Student Analyzes the Language of Two Presidential Executive Orders

“Language is a powerful force in the creation of culture,” says Lauren Brocious, who is double majoring in Linguistics and Asian Studies and volunteering as a research assistant with the U’s Center for Research on Migration & Refugee Integration (CRMRI).  “In many ways, language is shaped by cultural values of a particular group, but there is also a deep relationship between the cultivation of cultural values as a direct result of language. When the language being circulated is violent and hateful, then the culture also becomes a culture of violence and hate.  And culture, as the total sum of values and behaviors of a specific group of people, leads directly to actions and reactions which, in many cases, can be explosive.”

Working with College of Social Work Professor Caren Frost, Lauren analyzed the word choice and sentence structure of the two “travel ban” executive orders.  See the fascinating results on the College of Social Work’s blog, interACTION, here.