We are used to thinking of ourselves as free in the choices we make, for example when we buy a product. And we are used to thinking of language as a system for transmitting content, which is embedded in the meanings of words.

It is less obvious to us how much and what kind of content is transmitted by the sounds of language, i.e. by the phonetic form of words. This lesser evidence of sounds compared to lexical meanings (those in the dictionary) has an important consequence: unlike the meaning of words, of which we are well aware, linguistic sounds can influence us without us noticing.

The presentation will show some examples of the manipulative use of the sounds of language, real persuasive strategies capable of operating “behind the scenes”. It will show how these strategies are used to reduce our critical vigilance over the information we receive (technically: epistemic vigilance, Sperber et al. 2010).

In this way, those who want to persuade us ensure our acceptance of content that, if conveyed explicitly, we would recognise as questionable or even false.

Lecture by Professor Edoardo Lombardi Vallauri