Most investigators accept the definition of language intensity proposed by John Waite Bowers:[1] a quality of language that "indicates the degree to which toward a concept deviates from neutrality."
Intensity as a lexical variable in communication studies has generated extensive empirical research.
A theory proposed by Bradac, Bowers, and Courtright (1979, 1980) asserts causal relationships among intensity and a number of other psychological, social, and communication variables.
An experimental study by Hamilton, Hunter, and Burgoon (1990) generally supports the relationships proposed by the theory at least in the limited domain of persuasion.
Intensity has been related to: