Constructing credibility through representations in the discourse of wine: Evidentiality, temporality and epistemic control

Författare

Charlotte Hommerberg
Carita Paradis

Redaktör

Dylan glynn
Mette Sjölin

Summary, in English

This study investigates the relationship between evidentiality, temporality and epistemic control through detailed interpretive analysis of wine reviews written by Robert Parker, whose outstanding authority in this particular discourse field provides an exceptionally fruitful backdrop for the exploration of credibility in discourse. The material consists of 200 entire reviews, which are divided into units based on differences in temporality, evidentiality and modes of knowing. The analysis takes into consideration linguistic markers realized in the texts as well as implicitness that emanates from general world knowledge and more specific contextual awareness. It is shown in detail how the construction of credibility in this particular instance of persuasive discourse relies on complex interrelations between explicit and implicit features of texts as well as combinations of socio-cultural factors, which taken together result in epistemic control of the depicted events, i.e. an impression that what is communicated is the ultimate truth about the wines. The more general implications of the study are first to contribute to the body of theoretical work that strives to extend the understanding of evidentiality and temporality beyond explicit linguistic markers, and second to promote the approach adopted in this study as a useful complement to other methods used in interpretive discourse analysis.

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