The Power of Words: How Language Shapes What we Think, Believe and Do

By Arianne Guillemot

Do you ever feel that the voice in your mind is playing you tricks, that it actually influences your life outside your mind?

I have had this feeling recently, and it made me think on how to trick this voice instead of letting it trick me, and that reflection made me realise the power of the words that were spoken in my mind.

You may believe this is not decisive, but I believe that the words and language we use dictate the way we engage with the world. One could therefore say that I align with the relativity of language thesis [1], supporting the idea that words and language allow different perceptions of life.

Drawing from this theory and applying it to student life, I have witnessed that we are usually taught to think of ourselves as students in a very binary way. You either “are” good or “are” bad at maths. You either are eloquent or you are not.

This way of putting students from a very young age in tight boxes has a tendency to distort their perception of themselves and their potential.

One may have difficulties understanding maths or speaking in front of an audience; it does not mean they will never be able to understand it or to make a great speech. But this narrative in studies shapes our perception of our capacities. They are innate, or they are not at all.

This has ripple consequences on what you then believe you are entitled to pursue, the opposite field of what you “are” “bad” at, the ones you get good grades in.

If you keep on repeating these words to yourself, the vicious circle starts settling, and the little voice’s trick works because it becomes true.

I have realised that when I would tell myself that I was not good at something, I would get terrible grades and not succeed. Whereas when I would tell myself the opposite, I would see remarkable improvement. I have also witnessed it in my daily life: when I liked to believe I was messy, not organised, and always late, I would be exactly that too.

I believe that this relates more generally to the structure of languages. We see, for instance, in English and most languages, that you “are” your emotions and your traits.

However, not all languages are shaped like this. In Irish, for example, you “are” not your emotions; they are “on you”. In indigenous languages, directions are not “left” or “right” but “north” or “south” and “east” or “west”. Language actually then changes; depending on where you stand, your perception of the world as left can become right [1].

This change of perspective shows us how the world we live in, through our language, is very binary and, after all, in my belief, shaped oddly. I believe I am not my traits; I have some, but nothing is so permanent that it cannot be changed. I now like to pay attention to the way I talk to myself or am talked to. I spot what is getting me in which categories and if I like these categories.

I would recommend an exercise: writing down on a piece of paper how you would like to be described. You can write down anything that comes to your mind and see what list you end up with. Then, write down a list of traits you believe you have.

Chances are you will end up seeing that you perceive yourself very differently than how you would like to be perceived, but the truth is, that perception is in reality in your power to change, and I am positive when I say that once you change that little voice which is actually yours, it will change what you actually “are”.

Finally, I think I can draw one final connection that could help you shift from this “dychotomic” way of thinking.

I am a believer, as I have already established, in the power of words and vocabulary. And therefore, I do believe that the more you expand your vocabulary, the better you will get at expressing yourself, not just orally but also psychologically. We see that these languages, offering different perceptions of the world, are declining more and more. For instance, Irish is spoken daily at 1.5% in the Republic, and an overwhelming majority of languages in danger are Indigenous [2].

This phenomenon can be named “linguicide” when referring to a political will to kill a language drastically, “extinct language” when there are no speakers of the language anymore, or “endangered language” when it is spoken by a few but not taught anymore [3].

I think words have power, and that sometimes, it requires the proper word, maybe more complicated, to express justly a feeling, a goal, or oneself.

Have you ever felt that you were missing words? Because personally, I have. I asked my peers how they felt about this, and many told me they felt the same, as if they were ripped off of words and could not express correctly what they were thinking. This has been observed more and more by studies in our generation. For instance, in 2023 studies showed that two in five pupils had fallen behind in vocabulary development, which has been linked to screen time by lexicographer Susie Dent [4].

Although this may be generational, I think it is not just our growing dependency on our phones that is at the core. I believe it is also up to the state to provide us, students, with programmes in school that promote and offer a panel of words and resources to express ourselves correctly.

Words are power; they are knowledge; they are the way you go around the world. In his dystopian novel “1984”, George Orwell depicts an authoritarian regime in which even words are controlled through “Newspeak”, a simplified language with gradually restricted vocabulary and simplified grammar that makes it ultimately impossible to express critical thinking.

While this is a fiction, I think two things are to be taken from this work.

First, we also should remember that George Orwell, although writing fiction, used to be working at the BBC to counter Nazi propaganda during World War II and, therefore, also writes from experience [5]. One thing history has shown us is its habit of repeating itself, and so, I believe, secondly, that it is a great metaphor to illustrate the great role of words in our lives. Both personally and politically as a collective, we also have a pivotal say in what becomes of them; even more, a duty, I believe.

Therefore, I would also invite anyone reading this article to maintain a curiosity to learn, read and have as large a vocabulary as possible.

Defeat these boxes, keep the power of your own narrative and own it for the goals you truly, deeply desire. It starts within you, not anywhere else.

References

[1] John A. Lucy. Linguistic relativity (Annual Reviews Inc, 1997)

[2] UK Parliament. Indigenous Languages : Are They In Danger, (UK Parliament, 2019) ; Central Statistics Office. Press Statement Census 2022 Results Profile 8 – The Irish Language and Education (Central Statistics Office, 2023)

[3] Jihan Hassan Mohamed, Ali, Mohamed, Ali. Linguicide, linguicism, and Endangered Languages: Problems and Solutions Written by Linguicide, Linguicism, and Endangered Languages: Problems and Solutions (ResearchGate, 2020)

[4] Sally, Weale (The Guardian, 2026) 

[5] Orwell George. Orwell: The War Broadcasts, ed W.J. West (London Duckworth/british Broadcasting Corporation, 1985)