Extreme Case Formulations: A way of legitimating claims

Authors

Anita Pomerantz, University at Albany, State University of New YorkFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1986

Abstract

Extreme Case Formulations name a maximum case of the matter at hand, for example “all the time,” “everybody,” and “no one.” Three uses of Extreme Case Formulations are analyzed: to augment the nature of a wrongdoing while issuing complaints and accusations; to assert the strongest case while defend against charges and justifying one’s conduct; and to propose that one’s conduct is normal and ordinary by virtue of its status as frequently occurring or commonly done.

Comments

The use of the term, Extreme Case Formulation, originated with this article.

Recommended Citation

Edwards, D. 2000. Extreme Case Formulations: Softeners, Investment, and Doing Nonliteral. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 33:4, 347-73.