COM 31800 Lecture 10: 02142019
18 Feb 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Language is a system of symbols: symbol: something that represents something else, language involves symbol usage, the word (symbol) is not the thing (referent) Language is symbolic: denotative meaning, explicit dictionary definition, common usage, connotative meaning, subjective feeling, emotions attached to a word, examples, home , baby , weight . In the us, the term american is a highly potent god term: signals strength, sacrifice, fairness, freedom, prosperity, fact often signals that the information with the term becomes unquestionable and. Kind of knowledge to which all other knowledge must defer : examples: freedom, family values, critical thinking, progress, transparency. Devil terms: devil terms are not terms you avoid, terms that are used to describe what your audience should be against. Just as american inspires respect, authority, and sacrifice, un-american is a devil term : ex: a tobacco company learned about the circulation of reports that were potentially very damaging to their reputation.
