Tone as a Function of Presupposition in Technical and Business Writing

Abstract

Current treatments of tone rely on a hit-list approach in which writers are presented with lists of words to avoid and a few do and don't examples. Such treatments, however, do not constitute a theory of why certain linguistic elements create problems in tone. The linguistic concept of presupposition can be used to construct such a theory. Presuppositions are unstated propositions conveyed by the use of certain linguistic expressions called presupposition triggers. These presupposition triggers may convey the writer's beliefs about the truth of a proposition or the writer's value judgments about a proposition. Many problems in tone can be traced to one of two types of conflict between reader and writer: different beliefs about the truth of an implied proposition, and different attitudes toward a proposition whose truth is agreed upon.