Chapter 4

Nur Auni Nafeesah Nur Athirah Anis Syafiqah

Vagueness
vague means fuzzy or inexact,
uncertain, indefinite, unclear
vague or abstract words can
create wrong or confusing
meanings in your receiver's
mind
State a general idea but leave
the precise meaning to the
receiver's interpretation
Overgenerality
words are overgeneral if the
information they provide is
too broad and unspecific in a
given context
The answers are not specific
enough to count as
satisfactory answers in the
context indicated.
Ambiguity
ambiguity refers to a doubtful
sense of a word or phrase
many words have more than
one meaning
a word or expression is
ambiguous if it has two or
more distinct meaning and the
context does not make clear
which meaning is intended
A precise and clear definition of language is frequently necessary for a
strong argument.
A messy conflict where some people struggle to find the truth and
others seek to avoid it might occur when concepts are not defined
carefully.
Remember that not everyone reading or listening to your assertion
has the same background, experience, and values as you do when
using language.
"He who defines the terms wins the argument" - Chinese Proverb
 Stipulative
Definitions
A definition that a writer or
speaker has assigned to a term
or that has been assigned to a
term for the first time.
Example : Lottoholic means
someone who is obsessed with
playing lottery.
Persuasive
Definitions
A definition given to a term
in an effort to persuade the
reader or listener to aggree
with the writer's or speaker's
point of view.
Example : Capital
punishsment ( Ebook page
95-96)
Lexical
Definitions
A definition in which terms
are defined in the way they
are generally used in the
language.
Example : Blue jeans are
pants made of blue denin.
 Precising
Definitions
A definition in which the writer or
speaker assigns a precise meaning
to a vague term so that the word’s
meaning is not left to the
interpretation of the reader or
listener.
Example : The newly elected
governor wants to raise taxes on
the rich, which he defines as anyone
making more than RM500,000 a
year in take-home pay.
 Ostensive Definition
Provide a concrete example of the term
Example : The capital letter "a" looks like
this : A Definition by Subclass
Indicate what subclasses the word
Enumerative Definition contain.
Example : Fiction includes short stories,
List members of the class to which the
novellas and novels.
term refers
Example : The term country refers to
France, England, Malaysia and so on.
 Etymological Definition
Show the history of the term.
Example : A playwright is not one who
writes plays, but one who makes a play Definition by Genus and Difference
the way a wheelwright makes a wheel. Place the term in a class that helps
The term wright comes from from an Old narrow its meaning and then provide
characteristic that distinguish the
English word, wrytha, meaning "work".
term from other terms in the same
Synonymous Definition class.
Use a word that has the same meaning or Example : A duckling is a young duck.
nearly the same meaning as the term
being defined.
Example : A playwright is a dramatist.
Do not make the definition too broad
Convey the essential meaning of the word being defined
Provide a context for ambiguous words
Avoid slanted definitions
Avoid figurative definitions
Avoid needlessly obscure definitions
Avoid circular definitions
Definition
Emotive language describes words and phrases
meant to evoke an emotional response to a
subject and slanting the truth essentially
means to put a spin on the truth, to approach it
from an angle of sorts rather than head on.

Words used are focusing more on the emotive

force and not so much for the information.

Differs from lying.

 Warm and welcoming
College brochure
Close relationship
Relatively
Dedicated

Sense of family

Above average
Information based
rather than
emotive force

Eg: Six-storey
facility, space for
2000 students
Literal meaning Images and feelings that
Eg : The steep descent of are associated with the
water from a high point word
Eg: Suggests power,
strength, the beauty of
nature.
Definition (Euphemisms)
Replacing a word or a phrase with a better one to make the sentence sound less offensive
without changing its meaning.

Mild, comforting or evasive words that take the place of harsh, blunt or taboo words.

In some cases, euphemisms are used in a more comedic way.

Political Correctness
Political correctness (PC) refers to language that avoids offending persons of various genders,
races, sexual orientations, cultures, or social conditions.
Black Urban
Used car Pre-owned car
Deaf Hearing impaired
Dead Passed away