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Surfing Final and Slang
In the surfing world, there are many different suits that are available and each manufacturer is pushing their suits to seem like the latest and greatest. In the article Rubber Soul, Mike Fish uses doublespeak to portray each wetsuit better than it may actually be. The four types of double speak he uses are euphemism, jargon,
gobbledygook, and inflated language. Double speak is a way to make something bad sound better, as in the article Rubber Soul. The definition of euphemism is "a word or phrase designed to avoid a harsh or distasteful reality"(Lutz). For example, in this article he talks about how Billabong has a suit for $100 that is a ,,perfect combination of quality, fit, and performance. Now when a surfer trys it on and tests it out, it might seem nice for a little while, but in reality its not a perfect combo of those attributes, its just another bottom of the line wetsuit that will probably tear within a few months. There are suits that go for $400-$500, now those are a little better in the case of quality, fit, and performance with no double speak needed to make those seem appealing. One thing any suit manufacturer will throw at a surfer when they are going to buy a wetsuit is an abundance of jargon. This is a specialized language, in this case, focused on surfing and neoprene. There are loads of options that are available such as the type of neoprene, thickness, type of entry system, liquid or stitched seams, hoods, booties, style/color, etc. And of course every company has a different word for each one of these such as Billabongs patent-pending asymmetric zip barrier or ONeills double fluid seam weld, which sound strangely familiar to say Hurleys YKK zipper or
Final Draft
Hotlines 100-percent super stretch flexi-taped seams. All of these words pop up way too often in the surfing community because it is what makes the products A sell. surfer might know what to expect while to non-surfers it could appear as overwhelming as buying a car. Another type of double speak is gobbledygook which means to overwhelm and confuse the audience with lots and lots of words. This goes on plenty of times in the article as well. The description of a very nice $400 wetsuit sums up this crazy type of double speak: "Barrier-2 pullover neck seal 100-percent UltraFlex XDS, super-stretch with X Foam core, New firewall X-type insulation, chest and back, lightweight warmth"(Fish). That is using many unnecessary words to make the suit seem more appealing than the other companies and most likely making people want to buy that one. The fourth type of double speak is not so apparent in this article, however, it is still present. Inflated language means to use fancy words instead of boring bland ones, to make the object more appealing. One example is when ONeill, a surf company, chooses to call the zipper on one of their wetsuits a urethane-coated membrane zipper instead of just a plain metal zipper. This inflated language has the muscle to take the ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary. Its not just Rubber Soul using this type of double speak either, surf shops and surfboard shapers will use inflated language to make items such as wetsuits, surfboards, fins...etc. seem better, when in reality they are just average. All of this is, in fact, is just a way of speaking in a way to make it appear to have a greater quality or attribute when in reality, it really does not.
Final Draft
All communities have their own words and ways of attracting people to them using double speak, which, in many ways, makes them appear better in our society. With double speak; Fish makes wetsuits appear better than they actually are. If it was not for double speak, things would probably be a lot more boring, straight-forward, and real.