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submitted 3 days ago by chobeat@lemmy.ml to c/technology@beehaw.org
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[-] Powderhorn@beehaw.org 9 points 3 days ago

What matters the most is not the words within an utterance, but the discourse conveyed by that utterance. [Translation: how you say it matters less than what you say.]

Under certain circumstances. How you say things in work and personal settings such as dating can absolutely affect outcomes.

[-] TehPers@beehaw.org 1 points 3 days ago

The number of times I've been attacked over tone growing up tells me that I either had abusive parents, ~~or~~ and that how you say stuff matters a lot. Intonation can also turn a statement into a question or even make it sarcastic. Words come with baggage beyond their meaning, and using a word with negative connotations can turn a compliment into an insult.

[-] lvxferre@mander.xyz 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

In the specific case of clanker vocab leaking into the general population, that's no big deal. Bots are "trained" towards bland, unoffensive, neutral words and expressions; stuff like "indeed", "push the boundaries of", "delve", "navigate the complexities of $topic". Mostly overly verbose discourse markers.

However when speaking in general grounds you're of course correct, since the choice of words does change the meaning. For example, a "please" within a request might not change the core meaning, but it still adds meaning - because it conveys "I believe to be necessary to show you respect".

[-] Powderhorn@beehaw.org 2 points 3 days ago

I take the specific view that inadvertent phrasing of three words or less has repeatedly changed my life. Three is actually really excessive. One usually does the job; I only had to go to three once.

But then again, I'm a writer. Oh, I sure as shit wasn't the first time, but this is where serendipity cones into play. You know what you have to say without even thinking about it.

this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2025
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