An Analysis of Pragmatic Presuppositions in Political Newspaper Articles

Abstract

This study investigates the underlying presuppositions present in a newspaper article published in The Telegraph, a British daily. The newspaper article is authored by Con Coughlin, the foreign and defense editor of the newspaper. This article critiques the Russian war, characterizing it as an unjust conflict aimed at countering Islamic radicals who are carrying out attacks on Russia. The study seeks to examine the various types and triggers of presuppositions employed in the essay to accurately depict and illustrate Putin's misguided military campaign. An eclectic pragmatic model is utilized to examine the types and triggers of presuppositions in the selected article. Finally, the study concludes that the Telegraph mainly depend on lexical and existential presuppositions, with a minor role of structural presuppositions, to convey thoughts in the process of vilifying Russia.