The current study assesses whether the stylistic choices that Van Leeuwen & Van Haaften (2018) identified in the ‘Van Gelder’ case affect readers’ evaluations. This case revolves around summary... Show moreThe current study assesses whether the stylistic choices that Van Leeuwen & Van Haaften (2018) identified in the ‘Van Gelder’ case affect readers’ evaluations. This case revolves around summary proceedings that gymnast Yuri van Gelder brought against NOC*NSF, as NOC*NSF had removed him from the Olympic gymnastics final due to misbehaviour. Van Leeuwen & Van Haaften argue that Van Gelder’s lawyer’s stylistic choices minimise the severity of Van Gelder’s behaviour and paint him as a victim, while the NOC*NSF lawyer maximises the severity of the behaviour and frames Van Gelder as solely responsible for his situation.209 participants read either an original or a manipulated fragment of the pleas and evaluated the severity of Van Gelder’s behaviour, his responsibility and their agreement with the judge’s decision. Results suggest that whether participants had read the original or the manipulated plea did not affect their evaluations. The content of the plea did matter, however, as participants who read the plea by the NOC*NSF lawyer were more negative about Van Gelder than those who had read Van Gelder’s lawyer’s plea. While the content of a text thus does affect readers’ evaluations, our stylistic manipulations may have been too subtle to make a difference. Show less
Dutch style guides and teaching methods consider the direct sequence of the subordinating conjunctions dat ‘that’ and als `if' a stylistic lapse. It is advised to rewrite sentences containing the... Show moreDutch style guides and teaching methods consider the direct sequence of the subordinating conjunctions dat ‘that’ and als `if' a stylistic lapse. It is advised to rewrite sentences containing the sequence by repositioning the conditional als-clause to the final position of the sentence. This study aims to find out to what extent this stylistic lapse actually occurs in several types of texts, and in which situations the aforementioned advice is suitable. We use corpus data from different modes and registers, we provide an overview of language advice from grammars, style guides and teaching methods, and we provide a comparison of Dutch dat als to the treatment of that if in English usage guides. Finally, we analyze the effects of the proposed reformulations, focusing on the function of the conditional clause in context. By doing so, we aim to formulate an informed view on the wide-spread advice concerning dat als `that if', and we aim to refine the advice available in the literature. Show less
Dalmaijer, E.; Leeuwen, M. van; Putte, E. van de 2021
The aim of this article is to show what a linguistic-stylistic approach can offer for the study of correlations between language use and well-being, in which quantitative and qualitative analysis... Show moreThe aim of this article is to show what a linguistic-stylistic approach can offer for the study of correlations between language use and well-being, in which quantitative and qualitative analysis go hand in hand. As a case study, we investigate whether there are differences in the language used by recovered and non-recovered adolescents who followed the online FitNet treatment for chronic fatique syndrome (CFS). More specifically, we analyzed whether there are differences between both groups in their use of five linguistic means that hide agency. Our results indicate that this is the case indeed: non-recovered patients used these linguistic means more often than recovered patients. In addition, both patient groups show a different development during the therapy: while non-recovered patients increased their use of these stylistic phenomena during the treatment, recovered patients decreased their use of these same phenomena. As such, our study shows that there is indeed a correlation between the use of certain formulations in the language used by patients with CFS and (a change in) their well-being. It is argued that the linguistic means that we investigated, could not have been analysed with a purely computational approach, and that a linguistic-stylistic approach is thus of added value for studying correlations between language use and recovery. Show less
Winden, A. van; Stukker, N.; Schooten, E. van; Haaften, T. van; Janssen, F.J.J.M.; Glopper, K. de 2021
Secondary school teachers expect students to write comprehensible paragraphs in their texts. However, an explicit way of teaching to write a paragraph doesn’t exist. This article describes a text... Show moreSecondary school teachers expect students to write comprehensible paragraphs in their texts. However, an explicit way of teaching to write a paragraph doesn’t exist. This article describes a text analytic study of compliance with language norms in paragraphs in two genres: e-mails with a request and persuasive texts. It addresses the question to what extent the paragraphs of thirteen- and seventeen-year-old students comply with the paragraph norms constructed on the basis of Dutch professional advisory books. Our findings indicate that students in Dutch secondary school have difficulty writing adequate paragraphs. Our results additionally suggest that students’ paragraph skills increase over time and vary across genres. Show less
Regelmatig nemen patiënten een begeleider mee naar medische consulten. Het verloop van shared decision making (SDM) in consulten met drie partijen heeft tot nu toe echter weinig aandacht gekregen.... Show moreRegelmatig nemen patiënten een begeleider mee naar medische consulten. Het verloop van shared decision making (SDM) in consulten met drie partijen heeft tot nu toe echter weinig aandacht gekregen. In deze studie wordt nagegaan welke invloed de derde partij kan hebben op het beslisproces. Daartoe specificeren we de rollen die deze partij op zich kan nemen en bespreken we, vanuit een pragma-dialectisch perspectief, hoe deze rollen zich vertalen naar rollen binnen een discussie. Tot slot zetten we op basis van voorbeelden uiteen hoe deze rollen tot uiting kunnen komen in het besluitvormingsproces. In een consult met drie partijen blijken vanuit argumentatief oogpunt twaalf complexe discussiesituaties te kunnen ontstaan, afhankelijk van de aard van het geschil, eventuele coalitievorming en de rollen die de partijen op zich nemen. In een aantal discussiesituaties kan de derde partij een actieve rol spelen en zodoende deelnemen aan het besluitvormingsproces. Alle drie partijen kunnen daarnaast anderen bij de discussie betrekken (bijvoorbeeld door hun mening te vragen) of een coalitie suggereren (bijvoorbeeld door in de wij-vorm te spreken). Indien een derde partij een coalitie suggereert, kan dit enerzijds SDM ten goede komen, doordat de begeleider de patiënt in het besluitvormingsproces steunt. Anderzijds kan dit ook het besluitvormingsproces bemoeilijken wanneer de derde partij (bewust of onbewust) ten onrechte namens de patiënt spreekt. Op eenzelfde wijze kan een derde partij meer of minder constructieve bijdragen leveren aan de besluitvorming door standpunten of argumenten te baseren op de eigen (vermeende) expertise. Show less
This study explores the ways in which the Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders formulates populist arguments, i.e. the argument by which it is claimed that if many people hold a certain... Show moreThis study explores the ways in which the Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders formulates populist arguments, i.e. the argument by which it is claimed that if many people hold a certain standpoint, this standpoint should be accepted. A corpus study of 27 texts taken from the website of Wilders’ political party (www.pvv.nl) reveals four characteristics of this presentation, which show a significant deviation of the way this type of argument is described in the handbooks: 1) absence of indicators, 2) implicit standpoint, 3) a wide range of verbs to indicate what ‘the people’ think or belief, 4) use of a construction in which the speaker functions as a mouthpiece (‘in the name of the people I say’). We claim that these characteristics makes a populist argument hard to identify and hypothesize that they may function as a disguised way for presenting a fallacious populist argument. Show less
This special issue is dedicated to the retirement of former editor in chief of the Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing Ton van Haaften. It presents an investigation of some aspects of the communicative... Show moreThis special issue is dedicated to the retirement of former editor in chief of the Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing Ton van Haaften. It presents an investigation of some aspects of the communicative activity type ‘political debate’ from both a discourse and a historical angle. A special focus is put on Dutch parliamentary debate, of which it is shown that its norms and conventions originate from nineteenth century parliamentary discussions on how to conduct such a debate. Ever since, the strategy of attacking politicians personally has both been employed for rhetorical purposes and fiercely criticized. It was also the (late) nineteenth century when a rhetorical style was introduced in politics, i.e. by former pastor and politician Abraham Kuyper, whose famous ‘Maranatha’ speech to his followers is analyzed for its rhetorical features. Today, even more than in Kuyper’s days, politicians claim to speak on behalf of ‘the people’. An inventory of the ways in which populist politician Geert Wilders presents his appeals to the people shows four stylistic features that may have a strategic function. Show less
Binnen het kader van de uitgebreide pragma-dialectiek wordt ervan uitgegaan dat taalgebruikers, wanneer zij iemand willen overtuigen, hun argumentatieve zetten zo kiezen en vormgeven dat zij... Show moreBinnen het kader van de uitgebreide pragma-dialectiek wordt ervan uitgegaan dat taalgebruikers, wanneer zij iemand willen overtuigen, hun argumentatieve zetten zo kiezen en vormgeven dat zij strategisch manoeuvreren tussen enerzijds de wens om te voldoen aan eisen van redelijkheid en anderzijds de wens om zo effectief mogelijk te zijn. Presentatiemogelijkheden vormen een van de drie aspecten van strategisch manoeuvreren. Talige stijlmiddelen vormen een belangrijk onderdeel van deze presentatiemogelijkheden. De analyses van de wijze waarop taalgebruikers strategisch manoeuvreren met stijlmiddelen zijn echter veelal ad hoc: een systematische analyse van stijl ontbreekt vaak.Dit artikel heeft twee nauw met elkaar verbonden doelstellingen. Ten eerste willen we laten zien hoe een systematische analyse van stijlmiddelen kan worden geïntegreerd in een pragma-dialectische analyse van argumentatief taalgebruik. Daartoe maken we gebruik van methodische inzichten uit de taalkundige stilistiek. Ten tweede willen wij betogen dat de door ons voorgestelde integratie van uitgebreide pragma-dialectiek en taalkundige stilistiek voor beide benaderingen waardevol is. Onze doelstellingen werken we uit aan de hand van een juridische casus. Show less
This paper presents guidelines for the analysis and evaluation of ad populum argumentation. For both of these tasks the type of standpoint is considered as a relevant factor. The conclusions are... Show moreThis paper presents guidelines for the analysis and evaluation of ad populum argumentation. For both of these tasks the type of standpoint is considered as a relevant factor. The conclusions are based on a critical examination of the argumentation theoretical literature regarding this type of argument and in completing and systematizing the insights drawn from it. ad populum-argumentation supporting a descriptive standpoint can only be reasonable if the appeal to the opinion of a lot of people is supplemented with an extra coordinatively linked argument. ad populum argumentation supporting a prescriptive standpoint should be treated according to its function in two contexts in which it typically occurs: advertising and politics. An analysis of the first context shows that this kind of ad populum actually consists of complex argumentation in which the appeal to the people supports an evaluative standpoint. This kind of ad populum is assessed as unreasonable, albeit for different reasons than provided in the literature. ad populum argumentation in the context of political deliberation ‐ ‘procedural ad populum argumentation’ ‐ is regarded as argumentation that is not inherently fallacious, but still too weak to function as the only support for a policy standpoint. Show less
Recently, a growing body of (political-scientific) literature has focused on the empirical measurement of populism. In such studies, “people-centrism” is one of the most frequently analysed... Show moreRecently, a growing body of (political-scientific) literature has focused on the empirical measurement of populism. In such studies, “people-centrism” is one of the most frequently analysed discourse characteristics, i.e. to what extent “the people” are put in the focus of attention in a politician’s discourse. In order to measure people-centrism empirically, it is common practice to use the number of references to the electorate as the only indicator. In this contribution, we substantiate that a linguistic-stylistic analysis of “perspective” or “attributed viewpoint” offers additional tools for analysing people-centrality in (populist) political discourse empirically. As a case study, we report on an analysis of series of parliamentary speeches delivered by the Dutch populist politicians Geert Wilders and Rita Verdonk. Show less
In dit artikel wordt autoriteitsargumentatie van de arts in medische consultatie geanalyseerd als strategische manoeuvre. Het doel van deze analyse is ten eerste om te laten zien hoe de... Show moreIn dit artikel wordt autoriteitsargumentatie van de arts in medische consultatie geanalyseerd als strategische manoeuvre. Het doel van deze analyse is ten eerste om te laten zien hoe de institutionele context van het medische consult een argumentatieve discussie tussen een arts en een patiënt kan beïnvloeden, en ten tweede om een uitgangspunt te bieden voor de evaluatie van de deugdelijkheid van autoriteitsargumentatie van de arts in medische consultatie. Om deze doelen te verwezenlijken, zal eerst een argumentatieve karakterisering van medische consultatie worden gegeven. Vervolgens zal autoriteitsargumentatie van de arts worden geanalyseerd aan de hand van de uitgebreide pragma-dialectische argumentatietheorie. Show less
