Delicacy of expression: An 8-part framework
Content
01 Introduction
02 Certainty (1)
03 Generality (2)
04 Factuality (3)
04 Conditionality (4)
04 Relativity (5)
04 Attribution (6)
04 Concession (7)
04 Presupposition (8)
04 Conclusion
- 01 Introduction
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This framework has been adapted with kind permission from the author, Nigel Bruce, the University of Hong Kong.
'For your writing to be fully credible and persuasive, you need to be aware of how a reader will evaluate its realism, reasonableness, "truth-value", accuracy, and appropriateness. The best way to do this is to put yourself in the position of your target reader, and consider whether what you have written passes a number of tests of what we shall call "delicacy"'
(Nigel Bruce, http://ec.hku.hk/acadgrammar/general/lang/delicacy/Default.htm 9/11/05)This section will take you through a framework of eight dimensions of linguistic delicacy, introducing you to techniques for making your writing more accurate and meaningful.
For each dimension, the following newspaper-style statement will be used as the basis for the example:
'Minister will resign today because of husband.'
[Back to top] - 02 Certainty (1)
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You may find, particularly in conversation, that it is easy to fall into the trap of expressing your views in an over-certain manner. You may, for example, tend to use the word 'will' where 'may' would have been more accurate or appropriate. The same problem of false certainty is quite common in written form, especially in journalism. In order to make the statement more delicate, simple rephrasing can be effective.
[Back to top] - 03 Generality (2)
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Although the context will, of course, determine the relevance of this particular linguistic dimension, it may be that your statement is too non-specific or vague, and your referents or population not sufficiently narrow or accurate. Avoid making sweeping generalisations.
[Back to top] - 04 Factuality (3)
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Again, context will determine this, but it may be necessary to elaborate on the factuality of your statement - how, for example, do you know what the subject of the statement will do or what they think? It is quite easy to accidentally imply certainty about a belief or attitude by using the simple and unqualified present tense, thus it may be necessary to state that something is a belief rather than a fact.
[Back to top] - 05 Conditionality (4)
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There may be a condition or circumstance that is missing from your statement that would make it stronger or more accurate, which could easily be introduced by a word such as 'if', 'when', 'where', or 'unless', among others.
[Back to top] - 06 Relativity (5)
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It may be that your statement expresses something as an absolute, when it might in fact be more accurate as a relative; for example, saying 'I generally love chocolate' instead of 'I love chocolate'.
[Back to top] - 07 Attribution (6)
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In academic communication, even reconstructed formulation needs attributing to some source of information or opinion. It may be that your statement needs to acknowledge its sources.
[Back to top] - 08 Concession (7)
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It may be that your statement would be stronger or more accurate if it included a 'concessive clause', which are clauses that begin with words such as 'despite', 'although', or 'while', among others. They are clauses that concede something.
In academic writing, concession may, for example, be used to indicate which authors' views you are dismissing or rebutting, because you disagree with them, or which authors' views you are promoting or defending, because you agree with them. In this way you can acknowledge alternative points of view, and show awareness of - and respect for - the value or stance of those views, even though you may disagree with them. You may then go on to challenge or dismiss those views, but your use of concession will have lent balance to your criticism.
[Back to top] - 09 Presupposition (8)
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It may be that your statement assumes some prior knowledge from the reader. A 'presupposition' is one of those assumptions - something that is presupposed. It could be that you have begun referring to a concept or acronym, for example, that you have not previously introduced elsewhere in the text.
[Back to top] - 10 Conclusion
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If you have looked at each example in turn, you will have noticed that the eight dimensions of delicacy have transformed the relatively simple and crude statement:
'Minister will resign today because of husband.'
to the more complex, yet meaningful
'A fellow minister has revealed that, despite strong public support, the Culture Secretary has said that she may resign today because of her husband's financial wrongdoings, which included an undeclared loan from the Italian Prime Minister, unless she is backed by Labour peers.'
While not all of the dimensions of linguistic delicacy covered here will apply to the type of claims and statements you are required to make in your assignment, the best way to avoid them is by being able to identify and understand them. Good luck.
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