Glossary
- ad hominem
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a power technique where, instead of responding to the logic of the argument itself, a speaker attacks the person making the argument, focusing on personal qualities that have nothing to do with the argument
- adjective
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a word that describes (or 'modifies') a noun; grammatically speaking, the part of speech that includes these words
- cognitive framing
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the use of a familiar perspective or narrative to make sense of and evaluate new information
- common noun
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a noun that is not one-of-a-kind, i.e., not proper. In English they are only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence.
- definite article
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the determiner 'the', usually used to mean that the noun referent is known
- disinformation
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Information that is purposefully false and meant to mislead or deceive, sometimes equated with propaganda. Recently it's been called "fake news".
- epithet
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a term or phrase for someone or something that includes a descriptor and usually the name of the person or thing
- metaphor
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a rhetorical device that enables us to connect two disparate words, concepts or things together such that some sort of transference of qualities or activity takes place from one to the other
- misinformation
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Information that is not true or partially untrue. Misinformation may be unintentional, unlike disinformation, which is purposeful.
- name-calling
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the pejorative or derogatory use of an epithet, that is, a descriptive name, to address or refer to someone
- nickname
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a short name used in place of a full name, usually to show affection or solidarity, but also to show power over the person being nicknamed
- noun
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a word that is a person, place, thing, or concept; grammatically speaking, the part of speech comprised of these words
- noun phrase
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a noun, e.g. 'barbecue', often with other words around it, e.g. 'the best barbecue in the world', usually functioning as a subject or object
- propaganda
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Information that deliberately promotes a particular perspective, regardless of its veracity.
- proper noun
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a noun of which there is only one; in English they are capitalized
- scapegoating
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blaming a person or group that cannot defend themself for a problem they did not actually cause
- stereotyping
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the human tendency to attribute a single or a few traits to an entire group of people. Stereotyping can be dangerously dehumanizing because it overlooks diversity and individual complexity.
- tribalism
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the state of being organized into groups defined by common identities and loyalty to the tribe over all else
