This article explores decoloniality, the ongoing process of unlearning colonial patterns of thought, and what it means to decolonise our language. We\u2019ll look at how everyday words preserve systems of power, how language can both oppress and liberate, why reclaiming linguistic identities is an act of resistance and what Europe is doing about it. Because one of the most powerful ways to practice decoloniality\u2026 is through language.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Language Is Never Neutral<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nDuring colonial rule, European languages were imposed as superior, while Indigenous languages were silenced, restricted, or outright banned. Words became tools of domination \u2014 shaping the identities of colonised peoples and defining how they were perceived.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nWhen we question the language we\u2019ve inherited, we begin to question the power behind it.
\nAnd when we shift language, we shift power.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nPolitical Correctness – Let\u2019s take a look back.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nIn terms of language, politically correct individuals oppose vocabulary that reflects prejudices on the grounds of race, gender or sexual orientation. The term \u2018political correctness\u2019 was initially used in the United States in 1970. It was used ironically by left wing activists and intellectuals to mock their own attitudes. During the 1980s, left-wing radicals became increasingly concerned with the rights of minority groups and conducted campaigns against discrimination on such grounds as race, age, gender and sexual orientation. Right-wing opponents grouped under the disparaging label \u2018political correctness\u2019 , and the term became associated with extreme over-zealous attitudes. For example, \u2018Eskimo\u2019 is considered offensive because it is possibly derived from the Indian word meaning \u2018eaters of raw flesh\u2019. Alternatively, the correct word is \u2018Inuit\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nOpponents of political correctness argue that seeking to control the language we use becomes dangerously close to trying to control the way we think. They regard those who campaign against politically incorrect language as dictatorial and intolerant. Others argue that focusing on language is a distraction from real struggle, which can be directed towards more practical goals, such as tougher laws against discrimination and increased investment to help the disadvantaged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nOn the other hand, supporters of political correctness argue that the language that we learn influences the way we perceive the world. If the vocabulary we aquire as children encourages us to think of a certain minority as inferior, we are more likely to view them this way. It follows that changing the language that people use should change their perceptions : using more positive vocabulary to describe minorities will mean that people will start viewing them more positively. (Source: English Language AS & A2 Revision Book)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nHow Colonial Language Operates Today<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nMany everyday terms still reflect Eurocentric worldviews, perspectives that place Europe at the centre and define everything else in relation to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cMiddle East\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nHave you ever wondered what this term actually means?
\nIt measures a region by its distance from Europe, implying that Europe is the reference point for geography and identity. This framing erases the region\u2019s own histories, names, and cultural centres \u2014 the Arab world, the Levant, West Asia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cFar East\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis phrase paints Asia as distant and \u201cother,\u201d as if civilisation begins in Europe and everything beyond is further and less important. The language reinforces a hierarchy rooted in colonial maps and mindsets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cThird World\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis ranking system suggests that \u201cFirst\u201d is powerful, modern, and advanced, while \u201cThird\u201d is underdeveloped. It erases the role of colonial extraction in creating global inequalities, turning victims of exploitation into supposed problems to be solved \u2014 rather than communities healing from centuries of resource theft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nCase Study: Ghana and the Shadow of Colonialism<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nGhana, known during colonial rule as the Gold Coast, remained under British rule until 1957. The British built an economy designed entirely for European profit \u2014 exporting gold, cocoa, and timber. Infrastructure existed not to connect Ghanians with each other, but to transport resources from mines to ports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nAt independence, Ghana inherited an economic model created for extraction, not development.
\nWhen global cocoa prices crashed, the economy collapsed \u2014 not because Ghana lacked potential, but because its foundations had been engineered for someone else\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
During colonial rule, European languages were imposed as superior, while Indigenous languages were silenced, restricted, or outright banned. Words became tools of domination \u2014 shaping the identities of colonised peoples and defining how they were perceived.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
When we question the language we\u2019ve inherited, we begin to question the power behind it.
\nAnd when we shift language, we shift power.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Political Correctness – Let\u2019s take a look back.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nIn terms of language, politically correct individuals oppose vocabulary that reflects prejudices on the grounds of race, gender or sexual orientation. The term \u2018political correctness\u2019 was initially used in the United States in 1970. It was used ironically by left wing activists and intellectuals to mock their own attitudes. During the 1980s, left-wing radicals became increasingly concerned with the rights of minority groups and conducted campaigns against discrimination on such grounds as race, age, gender and sexual orientation. Right-wing opponents grouped under the disparaging label \u2018political correctness\u2019 , and the term became associated with extreme over-zealous attitudes. For example, \u2018Eskimo\u2019 is considered offensive because it is possibly derived from the Indian word meaning \u2018eaters of raw flesh\u2019. Alternatively, the correct word is \u2018Inuit\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nOpponents of political correctness argue that seeking to control the language we use becomes dangerously close to trying to control the way we think. They regard those who campaign against politically incorrect language as dictatorial and intolerant. Others argue that focusing on language is a distraction from real struggle, which can be directed towards more practical goals, such as tougher laws against discrimination and increased investment to help the disadvantaged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nOn the other hand, supporters of political correctness argue that the language that we learn influences the way we perceive the world. If the vocabulary we aquire as children encourages us to think of a certain minority as inferior, we are more likely to view them this way. It follows that changing the language that people use should change their perceptions : using more positive vocabulary to describe minorities will mean that people will start viewing them more positively. (Source: English Language AS & A2 Revision Book)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nHow Colonial Language Operates Today<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nMany everyday terms still reflect Eurocentric worldviews, perspectives that place Europe at the centre and define everything else in relation to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cMiddle East\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nHave you ever wondered what this term actually means?
\nIt measures a region by its distance from Europe, implying that Europe is the reference point for geography and identity. This framing erases the region\u2019s own histories, names, and cultural centres \u2014 the Arab world, the Levant, West Asia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cFar East\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis phrase paints Asia as distant and \u201cother,\u201d as if civilisation begins in Europe and everything beyond is further and less important. The language reinforces a hierarchy rooted in colonial maps and mindsets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cThird World\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis ranking system suggests that \u201cFirst\u201d is powerful, modern, and advanced, while \u201cThird\u201d is underdeveloped. It erases the role of colonial extraction in creating global inequalities, turning victims of exploitation into supposed problems to be solved \u2014 rather than communities healing from centuries of resource theft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nCase Study: Ghana and the Shadow of Colonialism<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nGhana, known during colonial rule as the Gold Coast, remained under British rule until 1957. The British built an economy designed entirely for European profit \u2014 exporting gold, cocoa, and timber. Infrastructure existed not to connect Ghanians with each other, but to transport resources from mines to ports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nAt independence, Ghana inherited an economic model created for extraction, not development.
\nWhen global cocoa prices crashed, the economy collapsed \u2014 not because Ghana lacked potential, but because its foundations had been engineered for someone else\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In terms of language, politically correct individuals oppose vocabulary that reflects prejudices on the grounds of race, gender or sexual orientation. The term \u2018political correctness\u2019 was initially used in the United States in 1970. It was used ironically by left wing activists and intellectuals to mock their own attitudes. During the 1980s, left-wing radicals became increasingly concerned with the rights of minority groups and conducted campaigns against discrimination on such grounds as race, age, gender and sexual orientation. Right-wing opponents grouped under the disparaging label \u2018political correctness\u2019 , and the term became associated with extreme over-zealous attitudes. For example, \u2018Eskimo\u2019 is considered offensive because it is possibly derived from the Indian word meaning \u2018eaters of raw flesh\u2019. Alternatively, the correct word is \u2018Inuit\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Opponents of political correctness argue that seeking to control the language we use becomes dangerously close to trying to control the way we think. They regard those who campaign against politically incorrect language as dictatorial and intolerant. Others argue that focusing on language is a distraction from real struggle, which can be directed towards more practical goals, such as tougher laws against discrimination and increased investment to help the disadvantaged.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
On the other hand, supporters of political correctness argue that the language that we learn influences the way we perceive the world. If the vocabulary we aquire as children encourages us to think of a certain minority as inferior, we are more likely to view them this way. It follows that changing the language that people use should change their perceptions : using more positive vocabulary to describe minorities will mean that people will start viewing them more positively. (Source: English Language AS & A2 Revision Book)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
How Colonial Language Operates Today<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nMany everyday terms still reflect Eurocentric worldviews, perspectives that place Europe at the centre and define everything else in relation to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cMiddle East\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nHave you ever wondered what this term actually means?
\nIt measures a region by its distance from Europe, implying that Europe is the reference point for geography and identity. This framing erases the region\u2019s own histories, names, and cultural centres \u2014 the Arab world, the Levant, West Asia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cFar East\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis phrase paints Asia as distant and \u201cother,\u201d as if civilisation begins in Europe and everything beyond is further and less important. The language reinforces a hierarchy rooted in colonial maps and mindsets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cThird World\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis ranking system suggests that \u201cFirst\u201d is powerful, modern, and advanced, while \u201cThird\u201d is underdeveloped. It erases the role of colonial extraction in creating global inequalities, turning victims of exploitation into supposed problems to be solved \u2014 rather than communities healing from centuries of resource theft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nCase Study: Ghana and the Shadow of Colonialism<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nGhana, known during colonial rule as the Gold Coast, remained under British rule until 1957. The British built an economy designed entirely for European profit \u2014 exporting gold, cocoa, and timber. Infrastructure existed not to connect Ghanians with each other, but to transport resources from mines to ports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nAt independence, Ghana inherited an economic model created for extraction, not development.
\nWhen global cocoa prices crashed, the economy collapsed \u2014 not because Ghana lacked potential, but because its foundations had been engineered for someone else\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Many everyday terms still reflect Eurocentric worldviews, perspectives that place Europe at the centre and define everything else in relation to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cMiddle East\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nHave you ever wondered what this term actually means?
\nIt measures a region by its distance from Europe, implying that Europe is the reference point for geography and identity. This framing erases the region\u2019s own histories, names, and cultural centres \u2014 the Arab world, the Levant, West Asia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cFar East\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis phrase paints Asia as distant and \u201cother,\u201d as if civilisation begins in Europe and everything beyond is further and less important. The language reinforces a hierarchy rooted in colonial maps and mindsets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cThird World\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis ranking system suggests that \u201cFirst\u201d is powerful, modern, and advanced, while \u201cThird\u201d is underdeveloped. It erases the role of colonial extraction in creating global inequalities, turning victims of exploitation into supposed problems to be solved \u2014 rather than communities healing from centuries of resource theft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nCase Study: Ghana and the Shadow of Colonialism<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nGhana, known during colonial rule as the Gold Coast, remained under British rule until 1957. The British built an economy designed entirely for European profit \u2014 exporting gold, cocoa, and timber. Infrastructure existed not to connect Ghanians with each other, but to transport resources from mines to ports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nAt independence, Ghana inherited an economic model created for extraction, not development.
\nWhen global cocoa prices crashed, the economy collapsed \u2014 not because Ghana lacked potential, but because its foundations had been engineered for someone else\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Have you ever wondered what this term actually means?
\nIt measures a region by its distance from Europe, implying that Europe is the reference point for geography and identity. This framing erases the region\u2019s own histories, names, and cultural centres \u2014 the Arab world, the Levant, West Asia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cFar East\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis phrase paints Asia as distant and \u201cother,\u201d as if civilisation begins in Europe and everything beyond is further and less important. The language reinforces a hierarchy rooted in colonial maps and mindsets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cThird World\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis ranking system suggests that \u201cFirst\u201d is powerful, modern, and advanced, while \u201cThird\u201d is underdeveloped. It erases the role of colonial extraction in creating global inequalities, turning victims of exploitation into supposed problems to be solved \u2014 rather than communities healing from centuries of resource theft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nCase Study: Ghana and the Shadow of Colonialism<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nGhana, known during colonial rule as the Gold Coast, remained under British rule until 1957. The British built an economy designed entirely for European profit \u2014 exporting gold, cocoa, and timber. Infrastructure existed not to connect Ghanians with each other, but to transport resources from mines to ports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nAt independence, Ghana inherited an economic model created for extraction, not development.
\nWhen global cocoa prices crashed, the economy collapsed \u2014 not because Ghana lacked potential, but because its foundations had been engineered for someone else\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
This phrase paints Asia as distant and \u201cother,\u201d as if civilisation begins in Europe and everything beyond is further and less important. The language reinforces a hierarchy rooted in colonial maps and mindsets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThird World\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nThis ranking system suggests that \u201cFirst\u201d is powerful, modern, and advanced, while \u201cThird\u201d is underdeveloped. It erases the role of colonial extraction in creating global inequalities, turning victims of exploitation into supposed problems to be solved \u2014 rather than communities healing from centuries of resource theft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nCase Study: Ghana and the Shadow of Colonialism<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nGhana, known during colonial rule as the Gold Coast, remained under British rule until 1957. The British built an economy designed entirely for European profit \u2014 exporting gold, cocoa, and timber. Infrastructure existed not to connect Ghanians with each other, but to transport resources from mines to ports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nAt independence, Ghana inherited an economic model created for extraction, not development.
\nWhen global cocoa prices crashed, the economy collapsed \u2014 not because Ghana lacked potential, but because its foundations had been engineered for someone else\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
This ranking system suggests that \u201cFirst\u201d is powerful, modern, and advanced, while \u201cThird\u201d is underdeveloped. It erases the role of colonial extraction in creating global inequalities, turning victims of exploitation into supposed problems to be solved \u2014 rather than communities healing from centuries of resource theft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Case Study: Ghana and the Shadow of Colonialism<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\nGhana, known during colonial rule as the Gold Coast, remained under British rule until 1957. The British built an economy designed entirely for European profit \u2014 exporting gold, cocoa, and timber. Infrastructure existed not to connect Ghanians with each other, but to transport resources from mines to ports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nAt independence, Ghana inherited an economic model created for extraction, not development.
\nWhen global cocoa prices crashed, the economy collapsed \u2014 not because Ghana lacked potential, but because its foundations had been engineered for someone else\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Ghana, known during colonial rule as the Gold Coast, remained under British rule until 1957. The British built an economy designed entirely for European profit \u2014 exporting gold, cocoa, and timber. Infrastructure existed not to connect Ghanians with each other, but to transport resources from mines to ports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
At independence, Ghana inherited an economic model created for extraction, not development.
\nWhen global cocoa prices crashed, the economy collapsed \u2014 not because Ghana lacked potential, but because its foundations had been engineered for someone else\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Infographic](\"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0.png\")
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