Chapter 3 Flashcards
Looking at language
Q: What is the Use (of a word)?
A: A word is used, in phrase or sentence, when it appears without quotation marks or special typeface or script. For example, in sentence, “The forest fires caused a lot of smoke” all words are used. No word is mentioned.
Q: What is a mention of a word?
A: Appearance of word surrounded by quotation marks or in special typeface or script indicate that the word itself is the subject of the discourse. When a word is mentioned it is not used in the normal way. If we say, “the word fire has four letters,” the word fire is mentioned and not used. The sentence is not about fire. It is about the word fire.
Q: What is emotionally charged language?
A: Language with strong emotional tone, whether negative of positive.
Q: What is loaded language?
A: See emotionally charged language.
Q: What is an argument by epithet?
A: Support of a claim simply by applying an emotionally loaded term, with no substantive premise. Example: “You shouldn’t even try for a peace agreement. Thinking you could would just be naïve”
Q: What is a euphemism?
A: Bland, polite, usually abstract language used to refer to things that are embarrassing, uncomfortable, terrible, or in some way appalling. Euphemisms disguise these undesirable features.
Q: What is Neutral language?
A: Language with little or no emotional tone.
Q: What is ambiguity?
A: Language is used ambiguously if, in the context in which a word or phrase appears, it could have any one of several distinct meanings
Q: What is Semantic ambiguity?
A: Ambiguity due to the fact that a word or expression may naturally be interpreted as having more than one distinct meaning. If the ambiguity is found in an expression, it is not due to the structure of the expression but due to the meanings of the words used in it. For example, “home delivery sought” is ambiguous because delivery might refer either to the delivery of mail or to the delivery of babies.
Q: what is Syntactic ambiguity?
A: Ambiguity due to the grammar or syntax of a phrase, which can naturally be interpreted as expressing more than one distinct meaning. For example, “it’s time for football and meatball stew” is ambiguous because the structure suggests that the footballs are supposed to be elements in the stew along with the meatballs, and yet it would be very implausible for this to be true.
Q: What is a fallacy?
A: Argument based on a common mistake in reasoning, a sort of mistake that people tend not to notice. Fallacies are poor arguments but often strike people a being cogent (clear, logical, convincing).
Q: What is a fallacy of equivocation?
A: Fallacy committed when a key word in an argument is used in two or more senses and the premises appear to support the conclusion only because the senses are not distinguished. The argument is likely to seem correct if the ambiguity is unnoticed.
Q: What is vagueness?
A: A word is used vaguely if, in the context in which it appears, we cannot determine what things the word would apply to.
Q: What is an ostensive definition?
A: A kind of definition in which meaning of a word is indicated by pointing at a thing to which the word applies.
Q: What is a Reportive definition?
A: A definition seeking to describe how a word is actually used. It is tested by reference to the facts of usage. A Reportive definition is too broad if it would allow the word to be applied in cases where we would not apply it in ordinary usage. It is too narrow if it would not allow the word to be applied in cases where we would apply it in ordinary usage.
