Do you find instances in which tentative language would be more accurate? Why or why not?
During my readings this week I’ve learned that competent interpersonal communication also depends on distinguishing facts from inferences. [ A fact is an objective statement based on observation and an inference involves an interpretation that goes beyond the facts (Wood, 2010). It’s easy to confuse facts and inferences because we sometimes treat inferences as facts. If I see someone lying around, I might say, “That person is lazy and unmotivated,” I’ve made a statement that sounds factual, and I may then perceive it as factual. There may be a reason why they appear to be lazy and
unmotivated. That person might have worked all day and could be tired when I see them. So yes I do find instances in which tentative language would be more accurate. To avoid making inferences it would be better to say, “That person seems to be lazy and unmotivated.” That statement would be more tentative and it would avoid treating an inference as a fact.
Now, extend your observations to other people and the language they use. When you hear others say, “She is,” “they are,” or “he is” are they really making factual statements, or are they making inferences?
They are making both factual statements and inferences when they say, “She is late for class every day,” “She is unmotivated.” It is a fact that she is late. However, it would be an inference to say that she is unmotivated because they don’t have all of the facts as to why she is late for class. ]
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jher000|Points 7182|
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Asked 5/5/2012 12:43:27 PM
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