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Definition:
A fallacy of accent occurs when a statement creates unnecessary ambiguity because
of a shift of emphasis either in spoken or written words. Examples:
I told Jack that I never want to see another Bruce Willis movie. As a result, he never shows me another one - he just keep showing me the same one, over and over.
What about Mary's letter? I resent it.
In the first example above, there is ambiguity created by the word "another," in the second example there is an ambiguity in the word "resent" (which would be eliminated if spoken correctly).
Also Known As: Fallacy of Prosody
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is the Logic and the Philosophy of Language?
The two fields Logic and the Philosophy of Language are often treated separately, but they are nevertheless close enough that they are presented together here. Logic is the study of methods of reasoning and argumentation, both proper and improper. The Philosophy of Language, on the other hand, involves the study of how our language interacts with our thinking.What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
