Pragmatics of authority

The COVID-19 pandemic placed political leaders and healthcare experts at the center of crisis communication, requiring them to issue urgent instructions under conditions of uncertainty. This paper analyzes how authority was enacted through language, focusing on directive speech acts in political and scientific discourse in the United States and Croatia. Drawing on speech act theory, the study examines press conferences, official statements, and interviews to compare how politicians and scientists shaped public behavior through direct and indirect directives. Findings show that political leaders often preferred direct strategies, embedding directives in appeals to solidarity, unity, or political identity. Medical experts relied more on direct and explicit directives as well, framing them as scientific necessity. The study highlights the adaptability of directive speech acts as tools of authority in crisis contexts, demonstrating how they balance power and clarity.