Assignment 7: Read Hayakawa Chapter 4 – Contexts.

1. When or to whom would a prescriptive dictionary be a good thing to use?

2. When or to whom would a descriptive dictionary be a good thing to use?

3. Do you know the meanings of "appellation," "calumny," or "fortnight" without looking them up? If you do, how do you know? If you don't, why not?

4. For the following words, define them denotatively and connotatively. (Try doing this without resorting to a dictionary).

5. Why, according to Hayakawa, is it a good idea to avoid arguments about intensional terms? (p. 38 may help).

6. Describe two different contexts and write a sentence for each one in the following condition:

(Using your gender,) A context and statement in which the word ["boy"/"girl"] is used to refer to you in a negative way and a statement in which ["boy"/"girl"] is used with a neutral or positive meaning.

Assignment 8: Read Hayakawa Chapter 5 – The Double Task of Language

Most people respond better to the expression "hamburger" than "ground up cow."  We may know that "previously owned" means "used" but many like the former better. 

1.  Give an example of a word or expression in which the affective connotation helps to elevate the person or thing as a legitimate social device (like "senior citizen" for "old person," in a case where you think it really works.

2.  Give an example of the same thing where you think it is harmless (that is, it doesn't fool anyone but doesn't mask anything diabolical).

3.  Give an example where you think an affective connotation is used where it does mask something awful.

4.  Give an example of a PC ("politically correct") expression that you think is appropriate and helpful (that is, better than whatever it replaced.)

5.  Give an example of a PC term that you think is ridiculous.

Assignment 9: On Line Reading -- The Power of Words: Affecting the Senses by James Fatt

1. What do you infer "pacification" was used to mean in Viet Nam, from the way Fatt refers to it.

2. What's the problem, according to Chomsky, with "peace process?"

3. After reading this article, define "terrorist" three ways. (That is, statements that begin, "A terrorist is…" and come up with three ways of finishing that statement).