Forgotten Title - the story included a fictional science of calculating the meaning of words

[Loki]

Quite a while back I remember reading a science fiction short or novella that had as it's main character a reporter, iirc. The key thing I remember is that there was a "science of language" described in the story, and it was essentially a science that allowed someone to determine the real meaning embedded within a speech or contract - extracting meaning from fluff.

This ringing any bells for anyone else? I've had no luck with my memory, or with google, so far.

If it sounds like a story you recognize, please post!

[Mofo]

embassytown?

[Loki]

nope, definitely not. I'm thinking it might be one of the Future History stories, but I can't remember which. It has that style.

[Julia]

A Samuel R. Delany early novella called Babel-17?

[Richard]

As you mentioned the word 'embedded' could it be The Embedding by Ian Watson?
That's all about language. Don't remember all the details though, might be worth a look.

[Dylan]

There's a section in the second story from Foundation where the main character uses symbolic logic to determine the real meaning of several documents in that way: it's on Google Books.

[Loki]

While I'm loving these suggestions, none of them are the piece I'm looking for.

Key things:
1) a reporter as the main character
2) located on a planet, not in space - I don't think it even had space travel
3) it reminded me of Heinlein's crazy years type writing.
4) a calculus or science of language, that allowed the people to determine exactly what contracts, news stories, etc meant and contained - i.e., it let you see what parts of a contract were just meaningless words, or what part of a story was trying to twist facts.

[Loki]

Dylan - that is very, very similar to what I'm looking for! Thanks for the reference, but I'm still thinking it was a short story...