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Using Eye Movements Recorded in the Visual World Paradigm to Explore the Online Processing of Spoken Language
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The logic of indirect speech.

Steven Pinker1, Martin A Nowak, James J Lee

  • 1Department of Psychology, and Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. pinker@wjh.harvard.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|January 18, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Indirect speech, like veiled threats or polite requests, offers plausible deniability in communication. This theory explains indirectness through cooperation, conflict, and language

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Area of Science:

  • Linguistics
  • Psychology
  • Game Theory

Background:

  • Human communication often relies on indirect speech rather than direct statements.
  • Indirectness serves various social functions, including sexual advances, threats, and requests.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a three-part theory explaining the prevalence and function of indirect speech.
  • To analyze the role of cooperation and conflict in shaping communication strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a game-theoretic model to analyze costs and benefits of direct vs. indirect requests.
  • Examining the dual functions of language: information transfer and relationship negotiation.
  • Considering the perception of language as a digital medium for common knowledge generation.

Main Results:

  • Indirect requests provide plausible deniability, benefiting cooperative interactions.
  • Language's role in negotiating relationships (dominance, communality, reciprocity) drives indirectness.
  • The digital nature of language enhances indirect requests' impact on common knowledge and coordination.

Conclusions:

  • Indirect speech is a strategic communication tool shaped by cooperation, conflict, and social dynamics.
  • Plausible deniability and relationship management are key drivers of indirect communication.
  • Language's properties as a digital medium further distinguish indirect from direct speech.