15 ms·
I don't see why I would trust grammatically-required self-assessments of expertise any more than I already do when someone tags one of those phrases (not much).
by xvedejas 6y ago
I don't see why I would trust grammatically-required self-assessments of expertise any more than I already do when someone tags one of those phrases (not much).
- hinkley 6y agoI think the effect would be greater than zero, but not as much as some might think. Some people have a pattern of speech that implies a level of authority that they don't actually feel. It's obvious when some people need to 'police their tone', less obvious for others.
- xvedejas 6y agoI'll conjecture that languages will invariably end up with a more neutral option, even when such options seem required. Sometimes it is useful to the speaker to be ambiguous, whether it is to understate something, imply something, or just take a mental load off.