This article examines how the political manipulation of Covid-19 statistics was opposed in 2020. It does this by studying in detail the language used in a public exchange of letters in the UK. The exchange was between the chair of the United Kingdom Statistics Authority (UKSA), a statutory body to prevent statistical malpractice, and the Minister of Health, who had been manipulating Covid statistics. The exchange reflects the greater power of the government minister. Initially, the UKSA chair used diplomatic language, marked by paratactic constructions, unspecified arguments, and impersonal structures that did not threaten the minister's face. The minister ignored these and the UKSA chair had to go beyond diplomatic language by re-specifying his arguments and upgrading his critical terminology. Only by catching the press's attention did the chair succeed in making the minister rectify, at least partially, the manipulated statistics. Implications for understanding today's political values are discussed. (Opposing statistical manipulation, manipulating Covid statistics, diplomatic language, parataxis and hypotaxis)

本文探讨了 2020 年如何反对对 Covid-19 统计数据进行政治操纵。本文通过详细研究英国公开信件往来中使用的语言来实现这一目的。这次交流是在英国统计局（UKSA）主席和卫生部长之间进行的，英国统计局是一个防止统计舞弊的法定机构，而卫生部长一直在操纵新冠统计数据。此次交换体现了政府部长的更大权力。最初，UKSA 主席使用外交语言，其特点是并列结构、未具体说明的论点和客观结构，这些都没有威胁到部长的面子。部长忽视了这些，UKSA 主席不得不超越外交语言，重新明确他的论点并升级他的批评术语。只有引起媒体的注意，主席才成功地让部长纠正（至少部分纠正）被操纵的统计数据。讨论了理解当今政治价值观的含义。（反对统计操纵、操纵新冠统计、外交语言、意合与合意）