How people use conversation to establish or resist the right to decide
In short: Researchers analyzing video recordings of planning meetings found that speakers use specific language patterns to claim or challenge 'deontic authority'—the power to determine what others will do next. By studying how participants respond to suggestions, the study shows that people don't just agree or disagree with plans, but also actively accept or resist the speaker's right to make those plans in the first place.
Using conversation analysis on video data of meetings, the researchers identified two types of interaction: 'deontic congruence,' where participants accept the authority of the speaker, and 'deontic incongruence,' where they resist it.
The study's focus on specific meeting recordings means the findings are centered on how authority is negotiated in structured group settings.
Why it matters: Our social hierarchies are constantly being negotiated and reinforced through the way we respond to suggestions in conversation.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Research: Stevanovic and Perakyla (2012). Deontic Authority in Interaction: The Right to Announce, Propose, and Decide. Research on Language and Social Interaction.
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