Cognitive and Emotive Meaning

LCR Loaded Language—Pathos

 Cognitive meaning/Denotation: This is the sort of meaning that one finds in the dictionary. A word’s cognitive meaning is the literal definition of the word itself.

 Emotive meaning/Connotation: This refers to the emotional impact that a word might have. Some words have negative emotive overtones; some have positive emotive overtones; some have mixed emotive overtones (meaning that some people react positively and others react negatively); and some words have neutral emotive meanings.

Words with Positive Emotive Words with Negative Words with Mixed Words with Neutral Meanings Emotive Meanings Emotive Meanings Emotive Meanings Freedom Oppression Socialism Purple Spring Fool Marijuana Chair Courage Nazi God Prospective Hope Terrorist American Computer Love Hate Cat Wash

 Con artists, for example, may use the emotive side of language (a) to mask cognitive meaning by whipping up emotions so that reason is overlooked, and (b) to dull the force of language so as to make acceptable what otherwise might not be.

 The latter task is often accomplished by means of euphemisms, which are less offensive or duller expressions used in place of more offensive or emotively charged locutions. There are lots of these that we use every day.

Original Term Euphemism Original Term Euphemism Fired Laid off / Downsized Genocide Ethnic cleansing Died Passed away Prison Internment camp Land mines Area denial munitions Fat Full-figured Unemployed Job seeker Liberal Progressive  Emotive language is not bad in and of itself. However, we have to be aware of loaded language. Loaded language is when words can become so emotionally charged that they can cloud reasoning, alienating the audience and creating a distraction from the real claims being made. Truly loaded language is highly unlikely to support your argument at all. For example:

o George Bush has been endorsed by a number of conservative Evangelical Christians.

o George Bush has been endorsed by right-wing, fascist Bible-thumpers. LCR Loaded Language—Pathos

Loaded Words

Read each list of words below. Each word has a different connotation, but has the same general denotation. Decide what the general denotation is for each group. Write you answer on the line provided. Then, number the words in each group from the most positive connotation to the most negative connotation.

____ thin ____ imprison ____ bony ____ relocate ____ slim ____ incarcerate ____ anorexic ____ intern ____ slender ____ evacuate ____ detain ______general denotation ____ lock-up ____ confine

______general denotation

____ uprising ____ prisoner ____ riot ____ detainee ____ demonstration ____ evacuee ____ unlawful gathering ____ internee ____ protest ____ inmate ____ disturbance ______general denotation ______general denotation

____ guerilla ____ internment camps ____ freedom fighter ____ detention camps ____ mercenary ____ assembly centers ____ soldier ____ concentration camps ____ terrorist ____ prison camps ____ relocation centers ______general denotation ____ temporary detention centers

______general denotation

Write two loaded words of your own, along with more neutral terms you could substitute for each: