Language as Rank Slides.

‘Some locations have been inundated by an ingress of floodwater.’ - Official.

If the majority of the audience listening to the official was asked to define ‘inundated’ and ‘egress’, they may struggle.

Language such as ‘inundated’ and ‘ingress’ commonly deployed by bureaucrats is not intended to communicate a picture.

It’s intended to let us know that someone cleverer and more experienced than us who causally uses such language does so because they have experience in inundations of water ingressing and both are part of their everyday conversations.

Language can be like rank slides the epaulettes indicating seniority.