Language inclines.
NPR:
But some of his most interesting work has to do with power dynamics. He says that by analyzing language you can easily tell who among two people has power in a relationship, and their relative social status. “It’s amazingly simple,” Pennebaker says, “Listen to the relative use of the word ‘I’.”
What you find is completely different from what most people would think. The person with the higher status uses the word “I” less.
Of course. (Not in the sense of “I knew it” but in the sense of “that makes complete sense”.) Unfortunately he then goes off the rails and shows he does not understand power:
But in retrospect he says it makes sense. We use “I” more when we talk to someone with power because we’re more self-conscious. We are focused on ourselves - how we’re coming across - and our language reflects that.
Sure, but what is the reason for that? The one in power is in a position to make decisions - about the situation, about the other person - so that is where their focus will go. This is asymmetrical: the person in the inferior position within that interaction does not have this kind of room. They can only attempt to petition the one in power; there is nowhere else for them to put the focus but on themselves. (Obviously that will also make one self-conscious.)