37.2596, Confs: Panel at IPC20: Grammar of Authority (Finland)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-37-2596. Thu Aug 06 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.2596, Confs: Panel at IPC20: Grammar of Authority (Finland)

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Date: 06-Aug-2026
From: Chingduang Yurayong [chingduang.yurayong at helsinki.fi]
Subject: Panel at IPC20: Grammar of Authority


Panel at IPC20: Grammar of Authority

Date: 27-Jun-2027 - 02-Jul-2027
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Contact: Seppo Kittilä & Chingduang Yurayong
Contact Email: chingduang.yurayong at helsinki.fi
Meeting URL: https://pragmatics.international/page/IPC20Helsinki

Linguistic Field(s): Discourse Analysis; Historical Linguistics;
Pragmatics; Text/Corpus Linguistics; Typology

Submission Deadline: 08-Oct-2026

Panel title:
Grammar of Authority
Rationale:
Systematic studies of language and power have continued for several
decades, not only in linguistics but also in other humanities and
social scientific disciplines (e.g. Foucault 1969, 1971;
Fairclough1989). The discussion has retained its relevance for
understanding human behaviour from ancient to modern society,
considering repetitive patterns of social interaction and geopolitical
turmoil around the globe. Hitherto, many approaches from diverse
disciplines have tackled this topic from the perspective of rhetoric
and discourse, particularly in critical discourse analysis (Fairclough
1995). However, not many studies have focused on language structure
beyond lexical choice to identify apparent associations between
linguistic resources and acts performed to claim or maintain power.
This research gap motivates us to host discussion on the grammar of
authority, as recent advances in language description and typology
have unveiled a variety of linguistic categories that hold potential
relevance, including epistemicity, evidentiality and egophoricity
(Aikhenvald 2015; Bergqvist & Kittilä 2020), engagement and
interactional asymmetry (Evans et al. 2018; Grzech et al. 2020). For
example, the use of direct evidentials is associated with high
authority, and we may either increase or decrease the degree of
responsibility that we are willing to take for our claims by using
reportatives or zero-marking (which is often associated with direct
evidentiality), or resorting to general knowledge or folklore (Kittilä
2019, 2020, 2026).
The dynamics of power and authority permeate the whole linguistic
system. From the perspective of language use, authority can be
expressed through numerous strategies ranging from phonological (e.g.,
patterns of prosody) and lexical (e.g., “freedom fighter” vs. “rebel”)
to grammatical strategies (e.g. realis vs. irrealis moods; active vs.
passive voices; transitive vs. intransitive constructions) and
explicit reference to authoritative agents in adjunct constructions.
Beyond these, non-verbal language behaviour (e.g. gestures and
movements) can also contribute to the expression of authority (Kirch
1979). Diverse usage of these linguistic strategies emerges from a
diachronic mechanism in which these strategies have been
conventionalised in specific meanings and context related to power
through discourse convention and social practices (Koch 2008; Fetzer
2010). This interconnection emphasises needs to account for both
detailed description of language structure and understanding of
contextual ecology in which a specific authority-related linguistic
phenomenon has evolved.
Call for Papers:
In this panel, we invite both theoretical and empirical studies of how
language structure and usage can be conventionalised into expressions
of authority, especially from the perspectives of diachrony and
language ecology. Topics that deal with lexical choices alone are not
a part of our workshop, because our focus lies on grammatical aspects
of authority expression and their interplay with related linguistic
categories. We are open to all aspects of language behaviour,
including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, discourse, and
non-verbal communication, which contribute to the pragmaticisation of
specific language features in specialised contexts. We also encourage
cross-disciplinary research that builds bridges between pragmatics and
related fields within linguistics and beyond, such as communication
studies, cognitive sciences, psychology, and comparative cultural
studies. Furthermore, consideration and inclusion of phenomena related
to ethnic and linguistic minorities for broader relevance at a
theoretical level are particularly welcome.
Please submit an abstract intended to be included in this panel to
Seppo Kittilä (seppo.kittila at helsinki.fi) and Chingduang Yurayong
(chingduang.yurayong at helsinki.fi) by 8 October 2026 for an initial
internal round of review. The panel convenors will inform whether the
proposed topic fits with the panel theme and provide necessary
guidelines for final online submission (https://ipra2027.exordo.com/)
by 15 October 2026.
Note that IPrA membership is required for submitting an abstract (with
all deadlines in 2026) as well as for presenting during the conference
(in 2027), and that membership always runs from 1 January to 31
December, no matter at what time in the year it is applied for.
Membership can be arranged instantly by clicking ‘JOIN IPRA’ on top of
the IPrA home page (https://pragmatics.international/) and following
all the necessary steps.
For general guidelines for abstract submission, please refer to the
official website of IPC20:
https://pragmatics.international/page/CfP2027.
References:
- Aikhenvald, Alexandra. 2015. Evidentials: Their links with other
grammatical categories. Linguistic Typology 19(2). 239–277.
- Bergqvist, Henrik & Seppo Kittilä. 2020. Epistemic perspectives:
evidentiality, egophoricity, and engagement. In Henrik Bergqvist &
Seppo Kittilä (eds.), Evidentiality, Egophoricity, and Engagement,
1–22. Berlin: Language Science Press.
- Evans, Nicholas, Henrik Bergqvist & Lila San Roque. 2018. The
grammar of engagement I: Framework and initial exemplification; The
grammar of engagement II: Typology and diachrony. Language and
Cognition. Language and Cognition 10(1). 110–170.
- Fairclough, Norman. 1989. Language and Power. London: Longman.
- Fairclough, Norman. 1995. Critical Discourse Analysis. London:
Longman.
- Fetzer, Anita. 2010. Contexts in context: Micro meets macro. In
Sanna-Kaisa Tanskanen, Mia Raitaniemi, Marjut Johansson and
Marja-Liisa Helasvuo (eds.), Discourses in Interaction, 13–31.
Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
- Foucault, Michel. 1969. L’Archéologie du savoir. Paris: Éditions
Gallimard.
- Foucault, Michel. 1971. L’Ordre du discours. Paris: Éditions
Gallimard.
- Grzech, Karolina, Eva Schultze-Berndt & Henrik Bergqvist. 2020.
Knowing in interaction: An introduction. Folia Linguistica 54(2).
281–315.
- Kirch, Max S. 1979. Non-verbal communication across cultures. The
Modern Language Journal 63(8). 416–423.
- Kittilä, Seppo. 2019. General knowledge as an evidential category.
Linguistics 57(6). 1271–1304.
- Kittilä, Seppo. 2020. Folklore as an evidential category. Folia
Linguistica 54(3). 697–721.
- Kittilä, Seppo. 2026. Zero-marking of evidentiality. In Aleksi
Mäkilähde, Tommi Alho & Anneli Pajunen (eds.), The Diversity and the
Unity of Linguistics: Studies in Honour of Esa Itkonen, 309–331.
London: Routledge.
- Koch, Peter. 2008. Höflichkeit und Metonymie. In Dorothee Kimmich
and Wolfgang Matzat (eds.), Der gepflegte Umgang: Interkulturelle
Aspekte der Höflichkeit in Literatur und Sprache, 143–184. Bielefeld:
Transcript Verlag.
Convenors:
Seppo Kittilä, Chingduang Yurayong, Sami Honkasalo and Richard Kerbs
(University of Helsinki)
This panel is part of the research project “Typology of authoritative
language: Information building and knowledge dissemination”
(https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/projects/typology-of-authoritative-language-information-building-and-knowl/)
funded by the Kone Foundation.



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