Strong vs. Weak Language

When it comes to language and word choice, the general advice is to be strong. When you use weak language like weasel words, you sound ignorant, scared, afraid to make a stand. When you are writing something, you don't need to say "I think. . ." because it is obvious that this is your opinion. If you are confident enough to make a suggestion, just make it and don't try to protect yourself from blame.

The irony, though, is that strong language can make you seem ignorant. If you remove all of the words that say that nothing is certain and there are always arguments that can be made to any point, then there is nothing showing the audience that you have considered those points. All the audience sees is you sticking with one point and bringing up all the reasons to support it.

I believe that strong language is better for discussion. If you make a point and somebody disagrees, you can go back and forth and reach a conclusion. But if you are writing a book or a journal article that is published and static, then such discussion cannot take place.

Ultimately, a writer needs to find the ratio of strong to weak language that they are comfortable with. I don't like to cut it all out because it feels stiff and forced. I obviously like to have some, though (as you may find in this entry itself), as it softens the edge, sounds more conversational, and shows that I do understand that there are always exceptions to everything.