Ch 2.1: Varieties of Meaning

Question 1

What is cognitive meaning?

Answer 1

Terminology that conveys information is cognitive meaning.

Question 2

What is emotive meaning?

Answer 2

Emotive meaning is terminology that expresses or evokes feelings

Question 3

What is a value claim?

Answer 3

A value claim is a claim that something is good, bad, right, wrong, better, worse, more important, or less important than some other thing.

Question 4

What is a vague expression?

Answer 4

1. A vague expression is one that allows for borderline cases in which it is impossible to tell if the expression applies or does not apply
2. Vague expressions often allow for a continuous range of interpretations

Question 5

What is a ambiguous expression?

Answer 5

An ambiguous expression is one that can be interpreted as having more than one clearly distinct meaning in a given context.

Question 6

What is the difference between vague and ambiguous expressions?

Answer 6

1. The difference between ambiguity and vagueness is that vague terminology allows for a relatively continuous range of interpretations, whereas ambiguous terminology allows for multiple discrete interpretations.
2. A vague expression creates a blur of meaning, whereas an ambiguous expression mixes up otherwise clear meanings.