The Power of Words

Abstract

Recently, speech, language, and hearing sciences (SLHS) programs became increasingly aware of structural racism, inequity, and injustice in the professions and world. Although a consistent experience for many people of color, this current reality requires scholars and educators to interrogate concepts and employ more transformative concepts fitting for this new era. Concepts are the basis of thought, essential for communication, necessary for building knowledge, and the building blocks of theory. Critical theory was used to conduct a preliminary analysis of five concepts used in SLHS. The concepts were analyzed keeping in mind the historical, political, and cultural influences on how the concepts are used and understood in SLHS. The analysis revealed that these concepts were typically not defined in SLHS literature, and without collective critical reflection, the continued use of those concepts could lead to inequities and/or exclusion. Suggestions for more equitable concepts are provided.