The effects of language intensity modification on perceived verbal aggressiveness

Abstract

This study examined the effects of variation in language intensity on the perceived aggressiveness of sentences representing five empirically established levels of verbal aggression. Subjects read and rated the aggressiveness of replicated sentences in which the level of verbal aggression and language intensity had been systematically varied. Tests of the hypothesized relationship between language intensity, verbal aggression and perceived aggressiveness gave evidence that frequency adverbs do affect the perceived aggressiveness of sentences at most levels of verbal aggression. Increasing language intensity increases perceived verbal aggression only at low levels of verbal aggression; decreasing language intensity is most effective at higher levels of verbal aggression.