Language encodes bias through abstract versus concrete verb choices

Evidence

The linguistic intergroup bias (Maass, Salvi, Arcuri, & Semin, 1989) carries the same message, only more subtly. Outgroup negative behavior merits abstract descriptions (“aggressive”), suggesting stability, whereas the identical ingroup behavior nets only the specifics of the particular instance (“punched somebody”). And positive behavior elicits the converse communication style. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 313

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the outgroup homogeneity effect and ultimate attribution error in this same chapter; also to Lakoff’s political framing work on how word choice smuggles assumptions. — connects to: Grammatical gender assignment is arbitrary yet skews feminine for abstractions
• SEED: A strong essay angle: how the abstract/concrete verb split operates in modern political media — ‘X is dishonest’ vs ‘X lied about this document’ as stability encoding.