To be more aware of leading
language it is useful to know the different forms it takes. Not being able to
find a typology that suited my needs, I developed the one below. It became clear
to me that each type of leading could be used with or without a question. Later
I added other sections to make this a more useful resource for others.
 |
Prompting desired answer (Oxford
Concise Dictionary) |
|
One which suggests the answer or which only allows a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Only allowed in cross examination. (Penguin Guide to the Law, 1986) |
|
A question that
makes assumptions about the answer to it, regardless of the awareness or
intention of the questioner. (my definition) |
A statement which
inclines phenomena to
be considered or responded to in a particular way. (my
definition)
| |
Leading
Question |
Leading
Statement |
| Forced Choice
/ Multiple Choice |
Which do you
like better, peas, okra or beans? |
You can have
carrots, cabbage, parsnip or pumpkin. |
| I Mind Read
You |
You like
spaghetti squash, don’t you? |
You will love
what I do with turnips. |
| You Mind Read
Me |
Mandarins are
better, know what I mean? |
As you know, I
can really get excited by fresh lettuce |
| Impersonal
Assertions |
Doesn’t
spinach have lots of iron? |
Cabbages
struggle in lime soils. |
| Preferred
Answer Indicated |
How do you
feel about me putting this garlic in the salad? |
The sort of
people we want are keen on garlic. |
| Challenged
Statements
|
How can you
say you don’t like bananas? |
But everyone
knows grapes are good for you! |
| Socratic (or The Right Answer Is In This Direction) | So
if plum blossom comes out in spring when do we first expect to see the
fruit? |
If you look at the apples you will notice it is the peel directly facing the sun which has gone red. There is usually a reason for such consistent patterns. |
Other leading questions and
statements come from the use of presuppositions, words that assume something
else to be true.
E.g. “When did you stop crushing garlic?” presupposes or implies
|
that
the person questioned formerly crushed garlic |
|
that
the crushing of garlic took place over time |
|
that
garlic crushing is no longer
taking place |
|
that
garlic is being used but with some other form of preparation |
Presupposition
Definitions
|
The
information that a speaker assumes to be already known. (The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Language, 1987) |
|
A
basic underlying assumption which is necessary for a representation to make
sense. Within language systems, a sentence which must be true for some other
sentence to make sense. (The Structure of Magic, Vol. I) |
Some Examples of Presuppositions
| Time
Based |
When did you stop forcing your rhubarb? After the tomatoes have ripened you can really enjoy them. |
| Change
Of Time |
Are
you going to stop growing
endive? Lee
will continue to produce great
onions. |
| Complex
Adjective |
Why
have you bought green lemons? (presupposes
there are other kinds) We
have good quality, new potatoes. |
| Ordinal
Numerals |
Wasn’t
that your fourth brazil nut? You
will get step five of my brinjal
pickle recipe next week. |
| Comparatives |
Aren’t
my radishes as crisp as yours? Capsicums
are even better freshly picked. |
| Change
of State Verbs |
Won’t
you be surprised if your seedlings turn
into icebergs? A
frost tonight could transform my
cucumbers into mush. |
Further
Information On Presuppositions
“The Structure
of Magic – a book about language and therapy” Vol. 1. Richard
Bandler & John Grinder, Science & Behaviour Books, Palo Alto, 1975
Presuppositions are often included in NLP Trainings but may only be a small part of the course content.
This article was printed in Rapport, the magazine of the UK Association for NLP, Issue 50, Winter 2000.
| Ó
Wendwell 2000. This document may be copied free of charge provided that
this box is reproduced with each copy or part copy and copies are not sold
or used as part of a service for which a charge is made.
Wendwell provide OD and HR consulting, including NLP training and modelling. Tel. 020 8385 2900 wendwell@btinternet.com www.wendwell.co.uk |