Friday, March 13, 2009

Fallacies of Language

Equivocation - words w/ more than one meaning can lead to a false conclusion.

Amphiboly - exploiting ambiguity in grammatical structure to lead to a false or questionable conclusion.

Emotive language -manipulating the connotative meaning of words to establisha claim without a proof.

Example of equivocation :
-You shouldnt take a course that teaches you how to argue, You argue too much already.
-You can get a FREE college education by investing now in mutual funds.

Example of amphiboly :
- I most enthusiastically recommend this candidate with no qualifications whatsoever.
-I can assure that no person would be better for this job.

Example of emotive language :
-Try this new, lower fat double bacon cheese burger.-This is a breakthrough way to become a financially secure. Pick up the phone right now and open the door to new opportunities.

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