Weasel Words
I recently read a lot of Katie Funk Wiebe's work. I came away enriched on many levels, but one small thing of value was learning about "weasel words," which I had never heard of before.
I recognized them instantly once described, as the language that I spoke all too often, unwittingly.
In her book, You Never Gave Me a Name, Katie wrote that one of her husband's professors at Syracuse University told her that she used too many "weasel words" like "perhaps" to avoid saying what she meant. A few paragraphs later, she tells how she ended an appeal for reason, by saying, "Perhaps I am wrong in this," and says, "There was that weasel word 'perhaps' again.'
From that moment on I noticed weasel words every time I wrote them or said them, and they seemed to pervade my emails with alarming frequency. I realized how often I weakened a point I really meant, by giving the receiver a way out of agreeing, in order to avoid being "wrong." Suddenly I found myself rereading statements that I thought I had made, only to find that I hadn't made them at all, but only a vague allusion to what I meant!
It was an epiphany, and it has changed the way I communicate. I now aim to be straightforward, to ask directly for what I need, say what I mean because I mean it, and don't bury the power in wording that saps the life out of the point I am making.
Weasel words: Politicians use them on purpose; they are endemic in government-speak--but some of us have no idea that we are infected!
Out with weasel words I say--and in with an opposite concept--representing oneself authentically and clearly. No more fluff and fog.
I recognized them instantly once described, as the language that I spoke all too often, unwittingly.
In her book, You Never Gave Me a Name, Katie wrote that one of her husband's professors at Syracuse University told her that she used too many "weasel words" like "perhaps" to avoid saying what she meant. A few paragraphs later, she tells how she ended an appeal for reason, by saying, "Perhaps I am wrong in this," and says, "There was that weasel word 'perhaps' again.'
From that moment on I noticed weasel words every time I wrote them or said them, and they seemed to pervade my emails with alarming frequency. I realized how often I weakened a point I really meant, by giving the receiver a way out of agreeing, in order to avoid being "wrong." Suddenly I found myself rereading statements that I thought I had made, only to find that I hadn't made them at all, but only a vague allusion to what I meant!
It was an epiphany, and it has changed the way I communicate. I now aim to be straightforward, to ask directly for what I need, say what I mean because I mean it, and don't bury the power in wording that saps the life out of the point I am making.
Weasel words: Politicians use them on purpose; they are endemic in government-speak--but some of us have no idea that we are infected!
Out with weasel words I say--and in with an opposite concept--representing oneself authentically and clearly. No more fluff and fog.
Comments
"A weasel word (also, anonymous authority) is an informal term[1] for words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that a specific and/or meaningful statement has been made, when in fact only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated, enabling the specific meaning to be denied if the statement is challenged>"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word.
An example given is:
"It has been claimed that..." (By whom, where, when?)
My own usage seems glaring to me in previous communication with people but I hope these examples help. I see you as so clear in communication that it is hard to imagine you being a guilty party. :)
"Would someone be able to take on...?"
rather than, "Betty-Lynn, will you please..?"
It depends on what you want to communicate, and the context, as you said.
In the example you gave, do you need the coffee urn now, or do you really just want your husband to bring it up "the next time" he's coming up? Either is fine, it's just saying what you need.
I've struggled with taking responsibility for the response of the person I'm asking and therefore not being clear.
In Katie Funk Wiebe's case, she was speaking up for women's rights and voice in a denomination that culturally had not believed they should have a voice and yet she was doing so by using small words that ironically disqualified and weakened what she said!
I agree with what you said about the difference between curriculum writing and classroom interaction and there is a difference between business/professional interactions and personal communications.