The aim of this project was to examine which factors are important in influencing communication between health professionals and patients. Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) was the theoretical framework adopted in this project. CAT proposes that individuals are influenced by their personal and social identities and that, in many cases, it is an individual's group or social identity that is most salient in an interaction. The underlying theoretical assumption in this project was that communication between health professionals and patients is characterised by intergroup rather than interpersonal salience and convergent methodologies were used to test this proposition. In addition to CAT, the linguistic category model (LCM), which is also used to investigate individuals' perceptions of intergroup salience, was adopted to complement the findings derived from CAT. There were seven studies in this project. The first study described the methodology for obtaining the data set used in Part 1 of the thesis. Participants wrote retrospective descriptions of a satisfactory and unsatisfactory conversation with a hospital staff member which they had experienced as a hospital in-patient. Study 1 provided a profile of the participants. In Study 2 the stimuli were participants' written recollections of 69 unsatisfactory and 79 satisfactory conversations. The LCM was used to test for differences in participants' perceptions of differing levels of intergroup salience between the two types of descriptions. While intergroup bias was evident, the results were complex. In Study 3 a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the same data set was conducted. This study explored differences between patients' and health professionals' goals, sociolinguistic strategies, and the patients' descriptions of the health professionals across the two types of conversational descriptions. Results revealed differences in goals, strategies, and descriptions. In the descriptions of satisfactory conversations, participants reported goals concerning reassurance and developing relationships. These two goals were not evident in the descriptions of unsatisfactory conversations, where attending to role relations was of greater importance. Participants reported the use of different sociolinguistic strategies for themselves and for health professionals across the different conversation types, which indicated that, for reports of satisfactory conversations, participants viewed their interactions with health professionals as more personal and positive than in the unsatisfactory ones. Participants described the health professionals in their descriptions of satisfactory conversations in more undifferentiated terms than the health professionals in the descriptions of unsatisfactory ones. Study 4 comprised two parts. First, using the data set from Studies 2 and 3, a qualitative analysis was conducted which explored thematic differences between the descriptions of satisfactory and unsatisfactory conversations. This analysis indicated more interpersonal themes for the satisfactory interactions and more negative intergroup themes for the unsatisfactory ones. Second, 134 participants rated 16 exemplar descriptions from the data set on 13 items derived from CAT. In general, the exemplars of satisfactory descriptions were rated as containing accommodative use of discourse management, emotional expression, and interpersonal control strategies. Exemplars of the unsatisfactory interactions were rated as more overaccommodative or counteraccommodative on these strategies. Study 5 introduced Part 2 of the thesis and involved a second data set. The stimuli were real-time videotaped interactions between health professionals and patients. Participants rated 25 videotaped interactions on 28 questions developed to tap the intergroup and interpersonal salience of the interaction. Of these 25 interactions, participants rated seven as highly intergroup and seven as highly interpersonal. These 14 interactions formed the stimuli for the Study 6. In Study 6 an LCM analysis of these 14 videotaped interactions compared the intergroup with the interpersonally rated interactions for levels of intergroup bias. The interpersonally salient interactions suggested lower intergroup bias than did the intergroup ones. This and other findings from the LCM analysis are discussed. Study 7 used a CAT perspective to examine six of the 14 videotaped interactions used in Study 6. These six interactions represented three videotaped interactions that were rated as highly intergroup, and three that were rated as highly interpersonal.. Participants provided ratings on both interactants' strategies, and health professionals' goals. They also rated the interactions for outcome measures, including patient satisfaction, and effective communication. Results indicated that the interactions rated as interpersonally salient were perceived as attending to relationship needs and emotional needs. Generally the interpersonal interactions were also rated as providing a more satisfactory outcome than the intergroup interactions. Together the seven studies provide evidence that interactions between health professionals and patients are essentially intergroup interactions. However, such interactions have the potential to move through dimensions of high intergroup and high interpersonal to dimensions of low intergroup and low interpersonal. Each pair of combinations provides different outcomes of communication effectiveness and satisfaction for the patient. Further, this research project demonstrates the ability of CAT to pick up on the dynamics of health provider and patient communication. It also highlights the usefulness of convergent methodologies to understand the complexities of patient and health professional interactions.

Two studies were conducted to investigate how the use of different types of language affects attitudes. Participants scrutinized arguments supporting a hypothetical toothpaste that differed in terms of argument strength (strong versus weak) and linguistic abstractness (abstract versus concrete) and subsequently evaluated the toothpaste. In addition, half of the participants in the second study were subjected to a cognitive load manipulation (i.e., rehearsing a ten-digit number) in order to limit their level of cognitive elaboration. Results indicated that strong arguments and those containing concrete descriptions led to more positive attitudes about the toothpaste, whereas weak messages comprised of abstract terms gave rise to the least favorable evaluations. These findings represent the first demonstration of the effect of language type on attitudes and suggest that future research into the functions of differential linguistic abstractness in a persuasive context will broaden our understanding of attitude change.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo descrever e analisar, a partir das construções linguísticas usadas para marcar a introdução de um texto dissertativo-argumentativo, pela perspectiva da Gramaticalização e da Cognição, as categorias linguísticas mais frequentes. Para isso usamos um corpus que totaliza 1600 redações de vestibular da FUVEST (Fundação para o vestibular USP), produzidas no período de 2004 a 2011, sendo 50% delas as melhores e as outras 50% as piores consideradas pela banca corretora. Teoricamente, fundamentamos esta pesquisa nos estudos sobre Cognição, a partir de Tomasello (2003), Damásio (2011), Del Nero (1997) e sobre Gramaticalização Heine, Claudi e Hünnemeyer (1991), Bybee (2010). Todo o material analisado teve tratamento quantitativo e qualitativo e chegou-se à determinação de que a categoria espaço é a categoria cognitiva mais frequente na defesa de uma tese e difere da categoria lugar. Foi possível, assim, constatar que espaço, embora em vários contextos seja utilizado como sinônimo de lugar, sob o ponto de vista linguístico-cognitivo lugar tem caráter mais concreto, por determinar localização física, enquanto espaço situa-se mais à direita do continuum das categorias cognitivas propostas por Heine, Claudi e Hünnemeyer (1991), após a categoria tempo, apontando para maior grau de abstração metafórica. Pudemos evidenciar que o processamento cognitivo para a produção textual envolve vários fatores mentais como o protosself (condição básica ao indivíduo), self central (todo o conhecimento adquirido) e self autobiográfico (a forma de externalizar o conhecimento adquirido em texto escrito). Destacamos também, a forma como o candidato começa uma dissertação, procurando criar um espaço conjunto de atenção, que é resultado de todos esses selves trabalhando juntos para a (inter)subjetividade materializada via categorias cognitivas. / This research has as aim to describe and analyze, from the linguistic constructs used to mark the introduction of a argumentative essay text, from the perspective of Grammaticalization and Cognition, the most frequent linguistic categories . So we use a corpus of essays totaling 1600 entrance FUVEST exam (Foundation for the exam - USP) , produced in the period 2004-2011 , 50% of them the best and the other 50% considered the worst by the examining board. Theoretically this research is based on studies about Cognition, from Tomasello (2003), Damasio (2011), and Del Nero (1997), about Grammaticalization, the bases are Heine, Claudi and Hünnemeyer (1991) , and Bybee (2010). All analyzed material had quantitative and qualitative treatment, from this was found a determination that the space category is the most frequent cognitive category in the defense of a thesis and differs from place category. It was thus possible to observe that space, although in various contexts is used as a synonym of place, from the linguistic-cognitive point of view place has more concrete aspect, for determining physical location, while space is located more to the right cognitive categories continuum proposed by Heine, Claudi and Hünnemeyer (1991), after the time category, pointing to a higher degree of metaphorical abstraction. We found that the cognitive processing for text production involves several factors such as mental protosself (basic condition to the individual), core self (all acquired knowledge) and autobiographical self (how to externalize the knowledge acquired in the written text). We also note how the candidate begins an essay, trying to create a space set of attention, which is a result of all these selves working together for the (inter) subjectivity materialized via cognitive categories.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo descrever e analisar, a partir das construções linguísticas usadas para marcar a introdução de um texto dissertativo-argumentativo, pela perspectiva da Gramaticalização e da Cognição, as categorias linguísticas mais frequentes. Para isso usamos um corpus que totaliza 1600 redações de vestibular da FUVEST (Fundação para o vestibular USP), produzidas no período de 2004 a 2011, sendo 50% delas as melhores e as outras 50% as piores consideradas pela banca corretora. Teoricamente, fundamentamos esta pesquisa nos estudos sobre Cognição, a partir de Tomasello (2003), Damásio (2011), Del Nero (1997) e sobre Gramaticalização Heine, Claudi e Hünnemeyer (1991), Bybee (2010). Todo o material analisado teve tratamento quantitativo e qualitativo e chegou-se à determinação de que a categoria espaço é a categoria cognitiva mais frequente na defesa de uma tese e difere da categoria lugar. Foi possível, assim, constatar que espaço, embora em vários contextos seja utilizado como sinônimo de lugar, sob o ponto de vista linguístico-cognitivo lugar tem caráter mais concreto, por determinar localização física, enquanto espaço situa-se mais à direita do continuum das categorias cognitivas propostas por Heine, Claudi e Hünnemeyer (1991), após a categoria tempo, apontando para maior grau de abstração metafórica. Pudemos evidenciar que o processamento cognitivo para a produção textual envolve vários fatores mentais como o protosself (condição básica ao indivíduo), self central (todo o conhecimento adquirido) e self autobiográfico (a forma de externalizar o conhecimento adquirido em texto escrito). Destacamos também, a forma como o candidato começa uma dissertação, procurando criar um espaço conjunto de atenção, que é resultado de todos esses selves trabalhando juntos para a (inter)subjetividade materializada via categorias cognitivas. / This research has as aim to describe and analyze, from the linguistic constructs used to mark the introduction of a argumentative essay text, from the perspective of Grammaticalization and Cognition, the most frequent linguistic categories . So we use a corpus of essays totaling 1600 entrance FUVEST exam (Foundation for the exam - USP) , produced in the period 2004-2011 , 50% of them the best and the other 50% considered the worst by the examining board. Theoretically this research is based on studies about Cognition, from Tomasello (2003), Damasio (2011), and Del Nero (1997), about Grammaticalization, the bases are Heine, Claudi and Hünnemeyer (1991) , and Bybee (2010). All analyzed material had quantitative and qualitative treatment, from this was found a determination that the space category is the most frequent cognitive category in the defense of a thesis and differs from place category. It was thus possible to observe that space, although in various contexts is used as a synonym of place, from the linguistic-cognitive point of view place has more concrete aspect, for determining physical location, while space is located more to the right cognitive categories continuum proposed by Heine, Claudi and Hünnemeyer (1991), after the time category, pointing to a higher degree of metaphorical abstraction. We found that the cognitive processing for text production involves several factors such as mental protosself (basic condition to the individual), core self (all acquired knowledge) and autobiographical self (how to externalize the knowledge acquired in the written text). We also note how the candidate begins an essay, trying to create a space set of attention, which is a result of all these selves working together for the (inter) subjectivity materialized via cognitive categories.

For years, researchers have examined financial data in corporate earnings announcements and their influence on market participants. More recently, a body of research has been developing recognizing the impact of narrative disclosures and managers' deliberate language choices. However, no prior studies have investigated those language choices of managers which are likely unintentional in composing such narratives; language choices which, as previous research has revealed, escape conscious access. Using an empirically-grounded model which systematically classifies different predicates, I examined whether managers use systematic patterns of language when construing the earnings press release in a likely unintentional effort to channel or direct readers' attention. I found that managers write positive information using a more concrete construal than negative information. Additionally, I used experimental data to examine whether these systematic differences lead to different perceptions of the company and its value as an investment alternative. Nonprofessional investors performed an analysis of an earnings press release where I manipulated the valence of the narrative as positive or negative and the construal of the narrative as abstract or concrete. I found that these manipulations had an interactive influence on investment decisions. Specifically, investors were least likely to invest when a negatively valenced narrative was written concretely. I also found that the influence of the narrative on the investment decision was direct and not the result of the narrative influencing the investors' focus of attention on the accompanying financial statements. Additionally, I tested whether the investor judgments were due to intentional cognitive effects and found that the influence of the narrative on the investment decision was not conscious on the part of the investor. Lastly, I conducted an analysis of archival data to examine the relationship between managers' language use in forward-looking statements of the earnings press release and future firm performance and the extent to which the market responds to these linguistic clues. Results from the analysis suggest that construal is predictive of future firm performance and the market is incorporating this into pricing for firms that meet or beat earnings expectations.

Having functionalism as its theoretical support, especially Lambrecht‟s (1994) and Li and Thompson‟s (1976) proposals, this thesis presents a discussion into the rules for marked topic constructions in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). All analyzed data came from authors whose constructions are herein discussed or from informal conversations. Based on several studies (Tarallo et al. (2002a, 2002b), Callou et al. (2002), Pontes (1987), Berlink, Duarte and Oliveira (2009), Perini (1996, 2006, 2008 and 2010), Brito, Duarte and Matos (2003), Li and Thompson (1976), we firstly looked into how different authors conceive of topic and how much disagreement there is among them, most of which as a result of their theoretical affiliation. On the second chapter of the work we stress topic as a linguistic category and bring to light a description of the pragmatic, semantic, and syntactic aspects involved in the codification of topics. The third and last chapter contains our assessment of topics in BP, in which we found a variety of structures that reflects communicative purposes. Ultimately, we drew the following conclusions: a) there are different nomenclatures and perspectives when dealing with topic construction in BP. Thus, the topic may appear in linguistic systems in a variety of ways, and the pragmatic context determines how such structures are codified; b) linguistic studies on topics have scrapped the notion of these structures being stylistic, although some restrictions do remain, such as the one that renders the topic to be a solely pragmatic and not syntactic category, or the one that states that topic constructions are agrammatical; c) we deem the idea of IE (Information Structure), as advanced by Lambrecht (1994), to be one of the most thorough approaches to the description of constructions with marked topic, for pragmatics, semantics, and syntax are equally considered; d) we acknowledge the fact that the current BP does codify subject-predicate and topic-comment structures; and e) we can undoubtedly attest to the high frequency of marked topic constructions within BP, and that these constructions are somehow in accordance with the properties of topic-prominent languages proposed by Li and Thompson (1976), which allows one to assert that Tp and Sp structures are just as basic in BP. / O presente estudo discute o estatuto das construções de tópico marcado em português do Brasil tomando o funcionalismo como suporte teórico, em particular as propostas de Lambrecht (1994) e Li e Thompson (1976). Os dados analisados advieram dos autores de quem lançamos mão para discutir essas construções ou de coleta em conversas informais. Em primeiro lugar, com base em diversos estudos (Tarallo et al. (2002a, 2002b), Callou et al. (2002), Pontes (1987), Berlink, Duarte e Oliveira (2009), Perini (1996, 2006, 2008 e 2010), Brito, Duarte e Matos (2003), Li e Thompson (1976), observamos a diversidade de formas com que diferentes autores concebem as construções de tópico e as divergências entre eles, muitas das quais se dão em função da filiação teórica. Na segunda parte do trabalho, onde defendemos o tópico como categoria linguística, apresentamos uma descrição dos aspectos pragmáticos, semânticos e sintáticos envolvidos na codificação dos tópicos. No terceiro e último capítulo, analisamos as construções de tópico em PB, onde constatamos uma variedade estrutural diversificada, a qual reflete propósitos comunicativos. Por fim, chegamos às seguintes conclusões: a) há variedade de nomenclaturas e perspectivas na abordagem das construções de tópico em PB, Assim, o tópico se apresenta nos sistemas linguísticos de maneiras variadas, sendo o mecanismo de codificação dessas estruturas determinado pelo contexto pragmático; b) os estudos linguísticos acerca do tópico têm superado a concepção de que essas construções são do âmbito do estilismo, embora ainda haja determinadas restrições, como defender que o tópico é uma categoria apenas pragmática e não sintática, ou que construções de tópico são agramaticais; c) consideramos a noção de EI (Estrutura da Informação) proposta por Lambrecht (1994) uma das mais completas abordagens para a descrição das construções de tópico marcado, já que a tríade pragmática, semântica e sintaxe é igualmente contemplada; d) reconhecemos que o PB no estágio atual codifica estruturas do tipo sujeito-predicado e estruturas com tópico-comentário; e e) podemos verificar que o PB apresenta, sem dúvidas, enorme frequência de construções de tópico marcado e estas, de alguma forma, encaixam-se nas propriedades das línguas de tópico propostas por Li e Thompson (1976), o que nos permite afirmar que no PB as estruturas Tp são tão básicas quanto as Sp.