Peter Torres - Linguistics Meets Narcotics

This presentation by Peter Torres, an assistant professor in the ASU Department of English, delves into the complex ways that U.S. policymakers, physicians and patients employ language to address the opioid epidemic. Specifically, the talk explores how language is used by policymakers to emphasize the gravity of the crisis, by patients to articulate their pain experiences, and by physicians to implement restrictive policies. By examining these many ways language finds its way into the crisis, this talk seeks to make sense of our linguistic choices at a time of crisis.