The word weasel , or anonymous authority , is an informal term for words and phrases like "believe researchers" and "most people think" that makes the argument feel specific or meaningful even if the term -this term is at least ambiguous and vague. Using ferret words can allow one to then deny a certain meaning if the statement is challenged, since the statement is never specific in the first place. Civet words can be a form of avoidance, and can be used in advertising and political statements to mislead.
Civet words can soften or weaken any loaded or controversial statements. An example is using terms such as "rather" or "in many ways," which makes the sentence more ambiguous than without keywords.
Video Weasel word
Origin
The phrase weasel word may be derived from the habit of eating ferret eggs. An article published by Buffalo News links the origin of this term with William Shakespeare's Henry V and As You Like It , in which the author includes simile of weasel sucking eggs. The article says that this is a misnomer, because the weasel does not have a suitable mandible for sucking eggs.
Ovid's Metamorphoses provides previous sources for the same etymology. Ovid explains how Juno ordered the labor goddess Lucina to prevent Alcmene from giving birth to Hercules. The Alcmene waiter, Galanthis, realizes that Lucina is outdoors using magic to prevent birth, appears to announce that birth has been a success. Lucina, in her astonishment, dropped a binding spell and Hercules was born. Galanthis then mocks Lucina, who responds by turning her into a ferret. Ovid writes (in U.S. Kline translation) "And because his abandoned mouth helps in labor, he [as a weasel] gives birth through his mouth."
The definition of the word 'civet' implying fraud and irresponsibility involves: the form of a noun, refers to a cunning, untrustworthy, or insincere person; verb form, which means to manipulate nimbly; and the phrase "to weasel out ", which means "to get rid of someone from something" or "to avoid responsibility".
The first expression appears in Stewart Chaplin's short story "Stained Glass Political Platform" (published in 1900 in The Century Magazine), in which the weasel words are described as "words that draw life from words" the next word for them, like a weasel sucks an egg and leaves its shell ". Theodore Roosevelt associates the term with his older brother, William Sewall, Dave, claiming that he used the term in private conversation in 1879. In another early use, Theodore Roosevelt argued in 1916 that "one of our defects as a nation is the tendency to use... 'civet word'; when one 'weasel word is used... after the other nothing is left'.
Maps Weasel word
Form
A 2009 Wikipedia study found that most of the civet words in it can be divided into three main categories:
- Numerically obscure expressions (e.g. "multiple people", "experts", "many")
- Use of passive voice to avoid specifying authority (e.g., "said")
- Weakened descriptions (for example, "often", "maybe")
Other civet-word forms may include this:
- Non-sequitur statement
- Use of vague or ambiguous euphemisms
- Use of grammatical devices such as qualifications and subjunctive moods
- Glitter or unclear generalizations
Generalize by using quantifiers, such as many , when measurable sizes may be provided, obscuring the points being created, and if deliberately done is a "weasel" example.
Non sequitur , where illogical or irrelevant statements may be used, such as in advertisements, may make it appear that the statement represents a favorable feature of an advertised product or service. An example is product support by celebrities, regardless of whether they have product-related skills. In non sequitur mode, does not mean that support provides quality or suitability assurance.
Faulty authority is defined as the use of passive voice without specifying an actor or agent. For example, saying "has been decided" without declaring by whom, and excerpts from unknown "authorities" or "experts", gives further scope to perish. This can be used in combination with the reverse approach of discrediting the opposite viewpoint by polishing it as "claimed" or "suspected". This includes what is called "semantic cop-out", represented by the term suspected . This implies the absence of ownership of opinion, which raises limited doubt on the articulated opinion. Construction "errors made" allows the speaker to admit mistakes without identifying those responsible.
However, a passive voice is legally used when the identity of an actor or agent is irrelevant. For example, in the phrase "a hundred votes are required to pass the bill", there is no ambiguity, and actors including members of the voting community can not be practically named even though it is useful to do so.
Scientific journal articles are another example of the legitimate use of passive voice. In order for the experiment to be useful, whoever runs the experiment should get the same result. That is, the identity of the experiment should have low importance. The use of passive voice focuses attention on the action, and not on the actor - the author of the article. However, to achieve clarity and clarity, most scientific journals encourage writers to use active voice when needed, identify themselves as "we" or even "I".
The middle voice can be used to create a misleading impression. As an example:
- "It makes sense that most people would be better after the change."
- "There is a big fear that most people will get worse after the change."
- "Experience confirms that most people will not get better after a change."
The first of these also shows the wrong authority, that anyone who disagrees arousing suspicion becomes unreasonable only by dissent. Another example of international politics is the use of the phrase "international community" to imply a false voice of unanimity.
Euphemism can be used to soften and potentially mislead the audience. For example, employee dismissals may be referred to as "downsizing", "reduction in number of members", and "deductions". Such jargon is used to describe things subtly.
Restricting information available to an audience is a technique sometimes used in advertising. For example, states that a product "... is now 20% cheaper!" raises the question, "Cheaper than what?". It could be said that "Four out of five people would rather..." something, but this raises the question of the size and selection of the sample, and the size of the majority. "Four out of five" can really mean that there are 8% for, 2% against, and 90% indifferent.
Civet words can also be used to try to undermine factual statements, such as "The decision was met with criticism by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch" can be changed to read "The decision was met with criticism by some i> human rights organizations such as... "
See also
References
Further reading
In the Report on Unknown Fly Objects (1956), US Air Force Captain Edward J. Ruppelt described Dr. astronomist reports. J. Allen Hynek on death of pilot Thomas Mantell in pursuing UFOs as "a masterpiece in the art of 'weasel wording'."
Carl Wrighter discusses the weasel words in his best-selling book I Can Sell You Anything (1972).
Australian writer Don Watson devotes two volumes ( The Sentence of Death and Weasel Watson's Dictionary ) to document the increasing use of civet words in government and corporate languages. He runs a website that encourages people to identify and nominate samples of civet words.
Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip, speaks volumes about the 'weasel' as a conspirator in one of his books, named after that: Dilbert and The Way of the Weasel (2002).
External links
- Jason, Gary (1988) "Hedging as a Language Misunderstanding", Informal Logic X.3, Fall 1988
- Weasel Words by Australian author Don Watson
- Not Storing it
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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