The Fact
BROADSIDE DEFINITION: Semantic control is influencing perception by controlling meanings instead of changing the underlying information. It works by narrowing, broadening, relabeling, or shifting definitions so that the same event can be understood differently depending on the words applied to it.
What This Means
Definitions are not decorative. If the meaning of a key word changes, the conclusion people draw from unchanged facts can change with it.
Sources
- Walker, Alexander C., Martin Turpin, Jennifer A. Stolz, Jonathan A. Fugelsang, and Derek J. Koehler. “Controlling the narrative: Euphemistic language affects judgments of actions while avoiding perceptions of dishonesty.” Cognition 211 (2021): 104633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104633
- Klemperer, Victor. The Language of the Third Reich: LTI – Lingua Tertii Imperii. London: Continuum, 2000 (orig. 1957).
- See also BSF-0248.