6 chapters across the catalog
Knighting of the Baron of Guam, Newsletter Analytics
Chad Biederman is officially named the Baron of Guam. The hosts also review a "report card" for their newsletters based on James Pennebaker's linguistic inquiry tool, which gave them high scores for analytic thinking but a low score of 20 for "authenticity."
James Pennebaker, Function Words and Social Status
The hosts discuss the work of psychologist James Pennebaker regarding "function words" (e.g., I, the, this). Pennebaker's research suggests that these "invisible" words can predict the success of relationships and reveal the relative social status of speakers, with higher-status individuals using the word "I" less frequently.
Professor Pennebaker and Political Performatives
The concept of "performatives" in political speech is explored, based on the research of Professor James Pennebaker. These are phrases like "let me be clear" or "let me say this about that" which serve as linguistic fillers that signal the speaker is about to deviate from the truth. Examples are provided from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the presidential oath of office.
Gender Analysis in Presidential Writing and Speech
Professor Pennebaker's computer analysis of pronouns and word counts suggests that Barack Obama's speech patterns trend more "female" compared to the "macho male" style of previous presidents. The discussion extends to literature and film, noting that Quentin Tarantino's female characters are linguistically written as males. The hosts debate the accuracy of using software to distinguish gender in professional writing.
James Pennebaker and the Psychology of Performative Language
Psychologist James Pennebaker's research into "performatives" explains how phrases like "let me be clear" are used by politicians to signal honesty while avoiding facts. His linguistic analysis suggests that Barack Obama's speech patterns trend more "female" compared to the "macho male" style of previous presidents. The research also uses pronoun counts to distinguish between male and female writing styles.
Professor James Pennebaker's research on "performatives" and the linguistic structure of lying is explored. Using Bill Clinton's Lewinsky denial as an example, the hosts explain how phrases like "I want you to listen to me" are technically true statements used to mask a larger lie. They discuss how analyzing pronouns and sentence structure can be more effective than body language for detecting deception in politicians.
