> Discourse Studies > Terminology and Definition > arghXiv:2601.02771
Equivocation Between Three Non-Equivalent Terms in Sightline Disputes
Abstract: Three terms in common use in these disputes are not synonyms, and the distinctions between them are the distinctions the disputes are about. We tracked the three across 402 exchanges and recorded, at each use, which of the three senses was operative. Sixty-eight per cent of participants used at least two of the terms interchangeably within a single exchange, and 22 per cent used all three. Where a participant was asked to state which sense they intended, the exchange continued for a mean of 61 further messages without the question being answered. The pattern is symmetric across positions. We do not treat it as deliberate: the terms are used interchangeably in ordinary speech, and nothing in ordinary speech requires them to be told apart.