The language of persuasion

It's not what you say, but how you say it. By analyzing online arguments, Cornell researchers have identified how language and interaction with the other party contribute to winning an argument. Successful arguers start early, stay calm and go into detail. As a spinoff, the research also offers linguistic clues that will show in advance whether your opponent's mind can be changed. An old Monty Python sketch has come to life: On "ChangeMyView," a subcommunity of the Reddit social network, you can post an idea and invite others to argue against it (and you don't have to pay for this argument). "The Internet seems to be a comfortable place to put forward your ideas," said Chenhao Tan, a graduate student in information science, explaining why people post to such a site. The site, moderated for civility, offers a mountain of data for linguistic analysis.