othersthat

Othersthat is a term used in discourse analysis and sociolinguistics to describe a recurrent rhetorical and syntactic pattern in which a speaker foregrounds an unspecified group of people by employing a noun phrase built around "others" followed by "that" and a clause. The construction serves to generalize a claim to a wider audience, presenting it as the position of a shared, if implicit, interlocutor, while shifting responsibility for the claim to the broader "other" group rather than to the speaker alone.

Etymology and scope: The term combines "others" and "that" into a fixed label and is usually encountered in analyses of contemporary political and media discourse. It is not a traditional grammatical category but a descriptive label used by researchers to identify a specific pattern of attribution and generalization that recurs across contexts.

Usage and examples: In practice, "othersthat" appears in sentences like "There are others that believe this policy will improve conditions," or "Others that oppose the plan argue it will hurt the economy." Analysts note that the device can crystallize a perceived consensus, even when the underlying evidence is uneven, and it can obscure internal disagreement within the referenced group. The pattern often accompanies hedging or amplification and can intensify in-group/out-group divisions.

Criticism and notes: Some scholars view othersthat as a useful shorthand for summarizing plural perspectives, while others see it as a rhetorical device that overgeneralizes and delegitimizes dissent by treating "others" as a monolithic foil. Further study examines its role in shaping audience perception and in shaping political persuasion.

See also: out-group, othering, discourse analysis, rhetorical device.