# Semantic Framing **Domain:** Language / Semiotics / Power **Doc Type:** Canonical concept node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Semantic framing is the organization of perception and possibility through the words, labels, definitions, and associations used to describe an object or event. ## Mechanism and Significance A term brings a history of distinctions and assumptions into thought. Repeated frames can make some interpretations immediately available while making others difficult to articulate or even notice. ## Evidence Boundary Language influences thought without determining it completely. Experience, evidence, competing vocabularies, and conscious reflection can challenge an inherited frame. ## Relationships [[wiki/Language|Language]] · [[wiki/Semiotics|Semiotics]] · [[wiki/Naming Power|Naming Power]] · [[wiki/Perception Management|Perception Management]] ## Related Articles and Collections - [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - [[articles/Analog Cognition and the Architecture of Continuity|Analog Cognition and the Architecture of Continuity]] - [[articles/Humans and AIs as Entangled Learning Systems|Humans and AIs as Entangled Learning Systems]] ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “Every important word works like a small program. Groups write methods and properties into terms like listening, humility, loyalty, and professionalism, so the working meaning can differ sharply from the dictionary meaning. Examining the vernacular use of a word reveals who benefits from it.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Awareness Is Power When You Learn to Hold Your Ground - Livestream (Mar 2016)* [[reminders/Language/Every Important Word Works Like a Small Program by Bryant McGill|Every Important Word Works Like a Small Program by Bryant McGill]] > “Words shape what people can think. Control over vocabulary and official definitions has always been a form of power, because the available words frame which possibilities seem real. Examining key terms is a practical way to loosen invisible constraints.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Belief, Language, and the Psychosomatic Feedback Loop - Livestream (May 2018)* [[reminders/Language/Vocabulary Frames Which Possibilities Seem Real by Bryant McGill|Vocabulary Frames Which Possibilities Seem Real by Bryant McGill]] > “Labels shape perception. Naming something brings along assumptions attached to the word, so it helps to notice what a label adds before accepting it as the whole truth.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Attention Loops and the Patterns That Shape Perception - Livestream (Apr 2016)* [[reminders/Language/Labels Carry Assumptions Into Perception by Bryant McGill|Labels Carry Assumptions Into Perception by Bryant McGill]]