> It goes back to an influential book called Keywords for Radicals ... That book was published in 2016. Semiology has been around since at least the late 19th

> It goes back to an influential book called Keywords for Radicals ... That book was published in 2016. Semiology has been around since at least the late 19th century (and can be traced back much further than that). Foucoult's approach to studying language and words through their genealogy and Derrida's contributions to literary studies were both big in the late 20th century. And feminist scholars from both analytical and continental traditions have been pointing out that language isn't neutral for forever. Gramsci's work on cultural hegemony was done in the early 20th century. Any of these would serve as better starting points for when leftists started focusing on the relationship between power and language. Not sure why you found this random book to pick on but it seems like you're missing some serious context here