Many years ago I read the book Meta-talk: How to uncover hidden meanings in what people say by Gerard I. Nierenberg and Henry Calero. The basic concept is sort of like interpreting body language for the use of words. With body language, the position and motions of the body can amplify or refute the words you say. When you understand body language, you can better understand people's actual meanings, sometimes when they don't understand it themselves. With meta-talk, one of the concepts is that the choice to use certain words can amplify or refute the content of what you say or write. One of my favorite examples of this is the use of the word, "but." "But" is a conjunction that