LINGUIST List 17.1787
Tue Jun 13 2006
Diss: Pragmatics: Levshina: 'Indirect Speech Tactics in Pre-Electio...'
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1. Natalia
Levshina,
Indirect Speech Tactics in Pre-Election Discourse
Message 1: Indirect Speech Tactics in Pre-Election Discourse
Date: 13-Jun-2006
From: Natalia Levshina <natalia.levshinamail.ru>
Subject: Indirect Speech Tactics in Pre-Election Discourse
Institution: Saint-Petersburg State University
Program: Department of General Linguistics
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2006
Author: Natalia Levshina
Dissertation Title: Indirect Speech Tactics in Pre-Election Discourse
Linguistic Field(s):
Pragmatics
Dissertation Director:
Konstantin Arkadievich Dolinin
Dissertation Abstract:
The dissertation deals with implicit ways of communicating information thatshows candidates in a favourable light or discredits them and thus mayinfluence the voter's decision. The research is based on the localnewspapers that were published during recent Governor election campaigns inthe North-West of Russia (more than 170 issues). Each newspaper reflectedthe interests of a specific candidate and formed a particular'subdiscourse' with specific goals, strategies and tactics. From thesemiotic point of view, each subdiscourse represented a peculiar filling ofthe same structure similar to that of a folk tale described by V.Propp, A.Greimas and others (the Protagonist, the Opponent(s), the Helper(s), etc.)
The theoretical framework of the research is the Relevance Theory byD.Sperber and D.Wilson, which is supplemented with C.Kerbrat-Orecchioni'sconcept of communicative competences. The indirect tactics that aredescribed in the dissertation are the most commonly used models of semanticinteraction between the generalized contents of explicatures, implicitpremises and implicit conclusions. These models are:
- insinuation "from a (neutral) part of a frame to the whole (favourable ordiscrediting) frame";- insinuation "from a general statement to a specific person";- implicit characterization with the help of metaphors and allusions;- echoic use and implicit discreditation of the Opponent's opinion (irony,parody, mockery);- demagogical use of implicit premises.
The tactics are used mainly to discredit of the Opponent and his Helpers.By using them, the journalists may not only avoid responsibility fordefamation, but also "cultivate intimacy" (term by T.Cohen) between thereader and themselves, stimulate interest of the reader in the information,make the reader "privatize" the information and minimize the risk of theinformation being critically examined.
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