attitudes in linguistics

In linguistics, attitudes refer to the speakers’ feelings, opinions, or emotional states conveyed through language. They reflect how people feel about the subject they’re discussing, such as expressing approval, disapproval, certainty, doubt, or emotion. Attitudes can be communicated directly, like saying “I love this,” or indirectly through tone, word choice, and context. Analyzing attitudes helps us understand the speaker’s perspective and social cues, revealing underlying attitudes toward individuals, groups, or ideas embedded within language use.