Slide 1THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISE DEFINITIONSFrom a HW…Stipulative Definitionshttp://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/fastest_growing.pngPersuasive DefinitionsSlide 7Lexical DefinitionsPrecising DefinitionsOstensive DefinitionsEnumerative DefinitionsDefinitions by SubclassEtymological DefinitionsSynonymous DefinitionsDefinition by Genus and DifferenceRules for Constructing Good Lexical DefinitionsRules for Constructing Good Lexical DefinitionsRules for Constructing Good Lexical DefinitionsEMOTIVE LANGUAGE: SLANTING THE TRUTHThe Emotive Power of WordsSlide 21Slide 22determining whether language is unduly emotive…determining whether language is unduly emotive…EUPHEMISMS & POLITICAL CORRECTNESSSlide 26EuphemismsEuphemismsFor Next Time…Critical ReasoningWeek 5: Class 2THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISE DEFINITIONSIn almost any argument, the definition of words can be at the heart of the debate. In fact, whereas some arguments take place over the truth or falseness of a claim (“The death penalty should be abolished”), other arguments center on the meaning of the words used to express the claim.From a HW…“We call a marriage a real marriage when a male and a female gets married because that marriage can be consummated. But gay marriage can’t be consummated. Therefore gay marriages aren’t real marriage.” --An advocates at the California’s Supreme Court What is the lawyer getting at here? What kind of argument is this?Argument from definition! Is it a good one?Stipulative DefinitionsIf you’ve ever created a new word or used an old word in an entirely new way, you have provided a stipulative definition; that is, you tell your readers or listeners what it is you mean by the term. A stipulative definition cannot be true or false, though it can, of course, be more or less fitting or appropriate.I was so mad I defriended him—What?—I dropped him as a friend on Facebook.http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/fastest_growing.pngStipulative definitions rarely create problems unless a writer fails to explain clearly that he or she is coining a new word or using an old word with a new meaning.Persuasive Definitionsin which an arguer defines a term in an effort to persuade a reader or listener to agree with the arguer’s point of view regarding the thing being defined.Abortion means the murder of innocent babies. Abortion refers to a medical procedure that removes an unviable fetus from a woman for the sake of her health and safety. Persuasive definitions usually contain emotional appeals and slanted terms and are often given in arguments over highly charged political and social topics on which people have firm views.Although persuasive definitions are often presented as objective and authentic, they are convincing only if they are very well defended.Lexical DefinitionsIn a lexical definition, a word is defined in the way it is standardly used in the language. In other words, the purpose of a lexical definition is to state the conventional, dictionary meaning of a word.a·bor·tion /əˈbôrSHən/Noun1. The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy.2. A miscarriage.Synonyms: miscarriage - failurePrecising DefinitionsA precising definition is intended to make a vague word more precise so that the word’s meaning is not left to the interpretation of the reader or listener.From our class syllabus:Ostensive Definitionsconsists in simply pointing to, or demonstrating, the thing being definedEnumerative Definitionsto provide specific examples of what the word refers toRunner means Patricia, Usain Bolt, and Carl Lewis. The trouble with enumerative definitions is that they tend to be incomplete, and hence may give rise to misunderstandings or convey only a very limited understanding of what the word means.Definitions by Subclassassigns a meaning to a word by listing subclasses of the general class to which the word refers.Whereas definitions by enumeration list individual things signified by a word, definitions by subclass list entire classes or categories.Mammal means gorilla, horse, lion, whale, and so forth. Poem means sonnet, limerick, haiku, epic, ode, and the like.Etymological DefinitionsA good dictionary tells what part of speech a word is, how it is commonly pronounced, and whence it came—its ancestry, or etymology. Eg. psychosomatic, psyche: soul, soma: bodySynonymous DefinitionsA synonymous definition assigns a meaning to a word by offering a synonym—that is, another word that has the same meaning as the word being defined.Loquacious means talkative. Deleterious means harmful.Definition by Genus and DifferenceOne of the most useful strategies for defining terms is to define by genus and difference, a method that lexicographers (dictionary writers) often use to create definitions. A definition by genus and difference assigns a meaning to a word by identifying a general class (genus) to which things named by the word belong and then specifying a differentiating quality (difference) that distinguishes those things from all other things in the class.Buck means male deer.Fiancée means a woman who is engaged.Don’t make the definition too broad or too narrow. Convey the essential meaning of the word being defined. Provide a context for ambiguous words.Rules for Constructing Good Lexical DefinitionsAvoid slanted definitions. Don’t let personal preferences or attitudes interfere with your definition. Abortion means murder. Avoid figurative definitions. A good definition should express clearly the conventional meaning of a word, not be couched in figurative or metaphorical language.Advertising means legalized lying.Religion means opiate of the massesRules for Constructing Good Lexical DefinitionsAvoid needlessly obscure definitions. Mouse means a quadrupedal mammalian of any of the more diminutive species of the genus Mus of the order Rodentia.Avoid circular definitions. A definition is circular if a person would need to know what the defined word means in order to understand the word or words used to define itGambler means someone who gambles.Rules for Constructing Good Lexical DefinitionsEMOTIVE LANGUAGE: SLANTING THE TRUTHemotive force—the appeal word choices make to readers’ feelings, desires, and needs.The Emotive Power of WordsDenotation: a word’s literal meaning. Connotation: the images and feelings associated with a word.Whether the writer or speaker