false dichotomy

English

WOTD – 19 June 2022

Etymology

A diagram of a type of inflorescence (a cluster of flowers) called a dichasium. Dichasia exhibit false dichotomy (sense 1).

From false +‎ dichotomy.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌfɔːls daɪˈkɒtəmi/, /fɒls-/, /dɪ-/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌfɔls daɪˈkɑtəmi/, /fɑls-/, [-ɾə-]
• Rhymes: -ɒtəmi
• Hyphenation: false di‧cho‧to‧my

Noun

false dichotomy (plural false dichotomies)

1. (botany) A branching in which the main axis appears to divide dichotomously at the apex but is in reality suppressed, the growth being continued by lateral branches (as in the dichasium).
2. (rhetoric) A situation in which two alternative points of view are presented as the only options, when others are available.

   Synonyms: fallacy of the excluded middle, false dilemma

Translations

branching in which the main axis appears to divide dichotomously at the apex but is in reality suppressed, the growth being continued by lateral branches

situation in which two alternative points of view are presented as the only options, when others are available

• Afrikaans: vals dichotomie
• Arabic: مأزق مفتعل‎
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: ілжывая дыхатамія (ilžyvaja dyxatamija)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 假兩難推理, 假两难推理 (jiǎliǎngnántuīlǐ)

• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: väärä dikotomia, väärä kahtiajako
• French: fausse dichotomie f, faux dilemme m
• German: falsche Dichotomie f
• Italian: falsa dicotomia f

• Japanese: 誤った二分法 (あやまったにぶんほう, ayamattanibunhō)
• Korean: 거짓 이분법 (geojit ibunbeop)
• Lithuanian: netikrasis pasirinkimas
• Persian: دوگانه جعلی‎
• Portuguese: falsa dicotomia f
• Russian: ло́жная дихотомия (lóžnaja dixotomija)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: falsk dikotomi c
• Thai: ทวิบถเท็จ
• Turkish: yanlış ikilem

See also

• false equivalence
• pseudodichotomous

Further reading

• false dilemma on Wikipedia.Wikipedia