The logic of indirect speech

Why people hint when they could ask: deniability, the relationship, and keeping things off the record.

Pinker, S., Nowak, M. A. & Lee, J. J. (2008). The logic of indirect speech. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(3), 833–838.

Type

Journal article

Find it

doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0707192105

Checked

Against the abstract, 15 September 2026

Why it is on the list

A hint lets a listener decline without anyone acknowledging a refusal. Language also negotiates what kind of relationship two people have, and saying something outright can renegotiate it. And a direct statement becomes common knowledge in a way a hint doesn’t, even when both people know exactly what was meant. This is the strategic reason behind week 3’s envelope.