ABSTRACT

Both in formal and informal settings, we use different arguments intended to persuade others to believe in what we believe or to choose a particular course of action. Such efforts of persuasion can be dened as the formation or change of attitudes in response to a message about the object of this message. One of the key points in the debate about persuasion effectiveness has been to distinguish the roles of two factors: the content of the message and external or peripheral cues that can inuence this message (Bohner et al. 1995). This debate can be also formulated by the use of linguistic distinction between semantics, that is, the meaning of the message, and pragmatics, that is, the relation between the message and those who “send” and “receive” it. Therefore, each attempt at persuasion depends on decoding the message and establishing what it means and making inferences about the intention, credibility, and truthfulness of the source. In other words, someone who is being persuaded has to make inferences about what is relevant in the content and context of the message (Sperber and Wilson 1995).