Glossary

a linguistic register found in governmental and traditional institutions that is characterized by excessive jargon, euphemism, and weasel language, that is, language that obfuscates agency, authority, and responsibility

the result of excessive use of doublespeak, especially when opposite terminology is used deliberately; it can also result from gaslighting. It can ultimately lead to mistrust and insecurity about whether there is an actual truth.

the skills and knowledge to consume goods and services wisely and safely, and to spend and save money free of exploitation

Information that is purposefully false and meant to mislead or deceive, sometimes equated with propaganda. Recently it's been called "fake news".

discussing something else or changing the subject; doublespeak can be considered a form of diversion

euphemistic doublespeak that covertly signals meaning only to receptive audiences

a language power technique involving the renaming of a concept that obscures its original negative meaning, allows for ambiguous interpretation, and may shift responsibility as to its cause.

the use of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression to substitute for an agreeable or inoffensive one, e.g. 'kick the bucket' for 'die'

an agreeable or inoffensive expression substituted for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant, e.g. 'pass away' for 'die'

the specialized words and linguistic registers associated with an activity or group of experts that is difficult to understand for outsiders

the use of the name of an attribute or part of a thing to mean the whole thing or something related to the concept, or vice-versa, e.g. 'Washington' for 'the US government', or 'hand' for 'applause'

Information that is not true or partially untrue. Misinformation may be unintentional, unlike disinformation, which is purposeful.

the pejorative or derogatory use of an epithet, that is, a descriptive name, to address or refer to someone

not mentioning or answering something; euphemistic doublespeak can entail omission because it is by definition avoidance of another term

a term used by cultural and political conservatives to label and dismiss new, euphemistic terms created by progressives to replace older terms considered racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory

Information that deliberately promotes a particular perspective, regardless of its veracity.

a word that has a similar meaning to another word, e.g. 'glad' for 'happy'

language that allows the speaker or writer to be vague, to generalize, and to hide or mask authority on purpose