SPEAKING WITH AUTHORITY: THE LANGUAGE OF OPINIONS, EXPERTISE AND CREDIBILITY

A talk by Shauna Concannon, Research Associate with the ‘Giving Voice to Digital Democracies’ research project at the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH).

In times of uncertainty, the role of experts in communicating good quality information becomes additionally important. But what is good quality information and how is it best delivered? This talk will explore the ways that certainty and authority are linguistically encoded. We will examine the ways that speakers present themselves as credible and knowledgeable, particularly when navigating uncertainty. Finally, we will consider how individual’s form judgements and assess information quality, and the implications this has on perceptions of trustworthiness and authority.