Discourse Distortion in University Communication

Universities are leaded to a world standardization of their activities, management and financing: the (non)-resistible construction of a unique higher education and research system. That construction is conducted under the slogan-keywords “autonomy”, “new public management”, “excellence”, “modernity” while these words are contradictory with the reality they label. This distortion of language creates a bizarre newspeak, symptom of the double binds in which searchers, teachers and academic staffs are trapped.

The more significant double bind unites and opposes the ancient institutions, still legal and justifiable, with the new forms of organisation, management and evaluation to which the state supervision as well as the numerous “partners”, in fact the new authorities enhancing new standards, constrain the academic authority to obey. This bizarre social discourse, mate of the neo-capitalistic re-framing of university, ratifies the path to extinction of university language. The paper will provide a description of some speech items and interactions specific of the new university communication.