expressivism
- noun
- /ɪkˈsprɛsɪvɪzəm/
- Formal
:
expresivismo
- In linguistics, expressivism focuses on how utterances reveal speakers' emotions or attitudes.
Examples
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According to expressivism, using phrases like 'I feel sad' emphasizes emotions rather than presenting facts.
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The theory of expressivism is fascinating.
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According to expressivism, saying 'Boo to theft!' shows disapproval rather than stating a fact.
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Some philosophers argue that expressivism better explains how we use moral language in daily life.
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Many philosophers debate the merits of expressivism in ethics.
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Philosophers who study expressivism assert that our language often conveys feelings instead of objective truths.
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The concept of expressivism suggests that saying something like 'I dislike this idea' primarily expresses a personal attitude.
Synonyms
A way of speaking that uses strong emotional words to influence people's feelings instead of facts
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
expressivism = expressive (transparent) = express + ive + ism
Formed by adding '-ism' to 'expressive' to denote a theory about expression rather than factual description.
Etymology
Expressivism comes from express meaning 'to show or say' and the ending -ism meaning 'a belief'. In language, expressivism is the view that some words or sayings mainly 'show' the speaker's feelings rather than state a fact.