ABSTRACT

This paper puts forward the argument that the concept of the language of trust and trustworthiness can be a useful way of understanding what trust means in specific situations. This concept refers to linguistic devices – verbal and non-verbal – which purposefully convey trust and create a foundation for continuing or improving relations. The concept has been developed based on research into relations between premodern merchants and their urban governments. In this context, the language of trust has emerged from historical sources as a tool which was used with great skill. By studying the form, the functions and the content of the language of trust in a concrete setting, contemporary or historical, we can grasp what can constitute the basis for trust and trustworthiness. The second argument proposed here is that, by pointing to the foundations of trust, the language of trust reveals the core values of an individual, a group or a society at a given time and place.

摘要

本文提出了这样一种论点，即信任和可信性语言的概念可以成为理解特定情况下信任的含义的有用方法。此概念指的是语言工具（口头和非语言工具），目的是传达信任，并为继续或改善关系奠定基础。这个概念是基于对前现代商人与其城市政府之间关系的研究而发展起来的。在这种情况下，信任的语言已经从历史渊源中浮现出来，成为一种熟练使用的工具。通过在具体环境中（无论是当代的还是历史的）研究信任语言的形式，功能和内容，我们可以掌握构成信任和可信性基础的内容。这里提出的第二个论点是，