THE PERSUASIVE POTENTIAL OF MULTIMODALITY IN GERMAN POLITICAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

The article aims at studying the features of the simultaneous and complementary interaction of verbal and non-verbal means in German political communication and the scientific description of multimodality as a characteristic discourse-style sign of politics. The methodology of the presented study is based on a holistic approach to language as the essential part of human cognitive-communicative actions, which always involves paraverbal and non-verbal forms of providing and/or obtaining information and communicating with others. The method of scientific analysis uses induction and deduction and suprasegmental and contextual analysis. The material for interpretation is political texts and communicative situations from the political life of modern Germany. Based on the agonicity and theatricality as systemic-forming features of political discourse, the author interprets certain types of interaction between politicians’ speech and such culturally dependent semiotic signs as visual color symbols and linguocolor secondary nominations, paralinguistic signals, details of the appearance of the speech subject, various forms of “body language”, etc. The discursively determined functions of polymodal communicative means are established: information function, attention-attracting function, identifying function, function of practical argumentation and emotional-associative influence. With the help of numerous examples, the assumption that communicative theatrical tactics accompanying the politician’s speech and based on paralinguistic, visual, kinesic and proxemic signals form not least the image of the politician, which includes not only his speech features but also the skillfully played individual psychological peculiarities, as well as the characteristics of the personal appearance and behavior developed with the help of political technologists and imagemakers. The cumulative combination of verbal and non-verbal communicative means with the charismatic behavior of a politician significantly increases the persuasive potential of public speeches and actions of political figures.