Ideological Underpinning of Political Slogans of Mainstream Political Parties of Pakistan: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Language is not merely a means of communication; it is also a carrier of the ideology of the people who speak it though it may not be easily discernible at times. This implies that language and ideology bear a very close relationship with each other. The present study reports how language and ideology are interwoven in the form of slogans found in the political gatherings and rallies of three mainstream political parties of Pakistan: PMLN(Pakistan Muslim League, N),PPP(Pakistan People's Party) and PTI(Pakistan Tehreek –e- Insaf). To critically analyse the selected slogans,methods of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) offered by Van Dijk and specific meanings which are not clear to the ordinary audience. The present study also aimed at finding out how the hidden ideology manipulates the judgements and reaction of the public.