Persuasive Discourse Research Articles

Because of thương: Listening to the voices of Vietnamese early childhood educators

This paper explores the self-authoring of two early childhood educators in Vietnam’s disadvantaged areas, Ha and Dong, to understand their marginalization and resilience in their daily practices. Guided by a Bakhtinian view, teachers’ self-authoring is conceptualized as an ongoing process in which the teachers articulate authoritarian discourses, and integrate them with their ideas to develop their internally persuasive discourses—their own knowledge of themselves as professionals. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews and photo elicitation; and analyzed in parallel with Bakhtin’s theoretical concept of self-authoring and the post-structuralist feminist approach. The findings represent the political, social, and gendered discourses addressing and being addressed by the preschool teachers. The study suggests that compassion and devotion to work for children contribute to the teachers’ making sense of their professional roles. This paper calls for a need to center the voices of Vietnamese early childhood teachers in policy-making, teacher training, and research practices, towards educational sustainability.

Decoding persuasion: a survey on ML and NLP methods for the study of online persuasion

The proliferation of digital communication has profoundly transformed the landscape of persuasive discourse. Online platforms have amplified the reach and impact of persuasive techniques. However, they have also enabled the rapid spread of manipulative content, targeted propaganda, and divisive rhetoric. Consequently, a wide range of computational approaches has emerged to address the multifaceted nature of digital persuasion, to detect and mitigate its harmful practices. In light of this, the paper surveys computational methods for detecting persuasive means in digital communication, focusing on how they integrate humanistic knowledge to operationalize this construct. Additionally, special emphasis is placed on models' explainability, a pivotal aspect considering these models are used by institutions to influence societal interactions. For the analysis, two primary perspectives in persuasion are defined: linguistic and argumentative. The linguistic approach analyzes specific textual features, allowing for highly accountable algorithms based on explicit rules. The argumentative approach focuses on broader persuasive mechanisms, offering greater scalability but often resulting in less explainable models due to their complexity. This tension between model sophistication and explainability presents a key challenge in developing effective and transparent persuasion detection systems. The results highlight the spectrum of methodologies for studying persuasion, ranging from analyzing stylistic elements to detecting explicitly propagandist messages. Our findings highlight two key challenges in using these algorithms to tackle societal issues of persuasion misuse: the opacity of deep learning models and the absence of a theoretically grounded distinction between vicious and virtuous persuasion. To address these challenges, we propose integrating social sciences and humanities theories to enhance the effectiveness and ethical robustness of persuasion detection systems. This interdisciplinary approach enables a more nuanced characterization of text, facilitating the differentiation between vicious and virtuous persuasion through analysis of rhetorical, argumentative, and emotional aspects. We emphasize the potential of hybrid approaches that combine rule-based methods with deep learning techniques, as these offer a promising avenue for implementing this interdisciplinary framework. The paper concludes by outlining future challenges, including the importance of multimodal and multilingual analysis, ethical considerations in handling user-generated data and the growing challenge of distinguishing between human and AI-generated persuasive content.

NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING ELEMENTS IN ADVERTISING: CRAFTING PERSUASIVE DISCOURSE

This study explores the application of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) principles inadvertising, focusing on how these elements enhance persuasive discourse. NLP is a psychological approach that examines the interplay between language, behavior, and thought patterns, providing valuable insights into consumer decision-making processes. The research aims to identify specific NLP techniques—such as anchoring, reframing, and the use of sensory language—and analyze their effectiveness in creating compelling advertising messages that resonate with target audiences. Through a mixed-methods approach, this study evaluates a selection of advertising campaigns that successfully employ NLP strategies. Qualitative analysis of consumer responses and quantitative assessments of campaign performance metrics reveal a significant correlation between the useof NLP elements and improved consumer engagement and conversion rates. The findings suggest that advertisements incorporating NLP techniques can effectively influence perceptions, emotions, and behaviors, ultimately leading to higher brand loyalty and sales. This research contributes to the understanding of how language and psychological frameworks can be strategically utilized in marketing to enhance persuasive communication. It highlights the need for advertisers to adopt NLP principles to craft messagesthat not only capture attention but also drive meaningful consumer interactions. The implications of these findings underscore the importance of integrating psychological insights into advertising practices, paving the way for future studies in the intersection of psychology and marketing.

The Patterns of Reforming in the Legacy of Al-Imam Al-Sajjad (PBUH):A Rhetorical Pragmatic Analysis

This paper deals with the study of pragmatic strategies and rhetorical devices to demonstrate the patterns of reforming: self,social , and moral reforming in the legacy of Imam Al-Sajjad(pbuh) ,that is represented by prayers and supplications .This heritage combines the spirit of revolution against tyranny and jihadist enthusiasm against deviations in all aspects of life . Imam Al-Sajjad(pbuh) adopts several ways for reforming including preaching ,calling people to have morals , directing people to know the truths ,causes of happiness and misery . These ways are intended to warn people against mindlessness by addressing the mind ,spirit ,and emotion .Hence ,this study focuses on the persuasive discourse in which pragmatics and rhetoric are integrated and aims at investigating the pragmatic strategies and rhetorical devices that are utilized as analytical tools to analyze the supplications and prayers of Imam Al- Sajjad (pbuh) delivered under the topic of reforming . Accordingly ,the study attempts to answer the following questions: What are the pragmatic strategies and rhetorical devices that Imam Al- Sajjad (pbuh) uses in this verbal legacy ? How are the pragmatic and rhetorical devices are utilized to present the idea of reforming ? The study hypothesizes that Imam Al- Sajjad (pbuh) uses many pragmatic and rhetorical devices that contributed significantly to highlight the idea of reforming of all its kinds as a model of stupendous legitmate literature. Additionally ,the rhetoric devices are connected with the three rhetorical appeals: logos ,ethos , and pathos .The study is finalized with some conclusions that these pragmatic and rhetorical devices reflect sympathy , mercy ,and emotional involving through which Al-Imam (pbuh) conveys a reformist message that could be called a message of spirit and insight . It is worth to mention that any translation of Arabic texts within this paper is the researcher's humble effort except the experts.

A look at persuasive discourse strategies and their relationship to societal intellectual security: Inductive study

The study shed light on intellectual security strategies in persuasive discourse, and how to frame the use of persuasive discourse strategies towards activating intellectual security in society. Rhetorical and persuasive strategies, and with the observation tool, the study concluded that the concept of intellectual security includes commitment to morals, customs, and the regulating and prevailing laws in society, and that persuasive discourse strategies work to organize and frame content in order to reach persuasion, and that Aristotle's persuasive triangle is consistent with rhetorical strategies, research that is consistent The pathos with the solidarity strategy, the ethos interacts in the directive strategy, the logos merges into the allusive strategy and the persuasive strategy, and the solidarity strategies are considered one of the most prominent persuasive strategies in enhancing intellectual security. Reinforced jaw security Irrigation in the process of communication works to preserve the cultural and religious identity in any society. Keywords: strategies, intellectual security, discourse, persuasion, framing.

Differences in Determining Ramadan and Shawwal: A Discourse Analysis of the Book Nusus al-Akhyar fi al-Shaum Wa al-Ifthar

The phenomenon of differences in the implementation determination of Eid al-Fitr in 1418 H was regretted by the Indonesian people. Responding to the emergence of differences in the determination of 1418 H, KH Maimoen Zubair through his work Nusuus al-Akhyar fi Al-Shum wa Al-Iftihar intends to provide solutions to Muslims in Indonesia in facing the differences surrounding the determination of Eid al-Fitr. This type of research is qualitative research with the research approach used being discourse analysis initiated by Van Dijk. The data used in this study consisted of primary data and secondary data. Primary data are in the form of lexemes, words, phrases, and sentences in Arabic that contain ideas about the determination of the beginning of the month of Ramadan and Shawwal in the book. Secondary data come from sources, journals, print media, online journalism, and other scientific works to find out the context of social situations that can influence the writing of the book. Data collection methods in this study are interviews and literature study. The results showed that the linguistic aspect that stands out in the discourse of persuasion is the invitation to promote unity in the midst of controversy over differences in each group; the author's ideology appears in the title, the lexemes "judge" and "hilal"; the pronouns of the time and person in the text indicate that there is a different social context from the current condition. The social conditions that appear in the book are the differences in the method of determination by Indonesian Mass Organizations and the emergence of certain polemics in 1998.

인쇄 공익광고에 나타난 설득의 전략으로서의 개입평가 연구

Objectives The purpose of this paper is to analyze the realizations of the engagement category, one of the subcategories of appraisal, in printed public service advertisements, to see how these realizations serve the discursive purpose of persuasion.
 Methods To achieve this purpose, the content structure of 60 printed public service advertisements made over the past five years was analyzed, and the categories of engagement realized based on sentence units in each content structure and linguistic elements that realize engagement were examined.
 Results The results of the engagement analysis showed that the content structure of public service advertisements and the realization of engagement are significantly correlated, and that the use of engagement is characterized differently depending on the content structure. In ‘raising a problem’, the engagement of ‘monogloss, entertain, deny, and counter’ were realized, and in ‘explaining the situation’, the engagement of ‘monogloss, entertain, deny, and acknowledge’ were realized. In addition, the engagement of ‘monogloss, pronounce, deny, and entertain’ was realized in ‘solution proposal’, and the engagement of ‘monogloss, entertain, concur, counter, and pronounce’ were realized in ‘topic emphasis’.
 Conclusions Through the above analysis results, it was confirmed that the engagement realized in the printed public service advertisement texts were selected and used to achieve the purpose of the discourse of persuasion. The significance of these analysis results are as follows. It is also significant in that it shows the categories and linguistic elements of engagement that are used to achieve the discursive purpose of persuasion, as well as their meaning and function.

Critical Discourse Analysis of the Speech of Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the United Nations General Assembly

The research study entitled “Critical Discourse Analysis of the Speech of Recep Tayyip Erdogan at United Nations General Assembly” aims to analyze and find out the ways used by Recep Tayyip Erdogan in delivering his political speech using the Critical Discourse Analysis theory proposed by Fairclough and the theory of Persuasion postulated by Aristotle. During a political speech, the leader tries to express, declare, commit, emphasize, or motivate the listeners by using one’s ideology and power. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is considered an effective approach to exploring the use of power and hidden ideologies in a text. The method applied in this research is the descriptive qualitative method. The transcript of Erdogan’s speech was taken from the mentioned web page (America Times News Service September 21, 2022) and the video (with subtitles) from YouTube which has 30 30-minute time duration. Both the transcript and video of the speech were used in the investigation of the data. His speech of Erdogan has been analyzed to show how using language, he motivated and persuaded his followers to comply with his cause. Based on the study's findings, it can be concluded that figurative language, modal auxiliaries, and personal pronouns are used very efficiently and widely in the persuasive discourse of Erdogan, and the rhetorical elements that most frequently have been applied are a combination of appealing using ethos and pathos.

Critical Thinking and Conspiracy Theories. Towards Rhetorical Virtues

The rhetorical model that has emerged in recent years calls for a diversification of pedagogical responses to critical thinking and, particularly, to the pedagogical treatment of conspiracy theories. Rhetoric is often defined, by the rhetoricians themselves, as a neutral art of persuasive discourse, sensitive to standards of effectiveness, but independent of truth and morality. However, the sole aim of rhetoric is not to train “skillful persuaders”, without any other consideration, since at the same time it presents itself as a broader education in democratic citizenship. These orators, trained by the rhetorical technique, are never defined, however, insofar as contemporary rhetoricians have gradually abandoned the normative reflection on (good) orators that was once conducted in the rhetorical tradition. Yet conspiratorial discourse, more vividly than other pedagogical objects, implies, by its very designation, norms, and values that isolate it from other categories of discourse deemed more acceptable or less dangerous to democratic life. Faced with this observation, this article proposes a reconceptualization of rhetoric that makes explicit the normative dimension of its educational project. Defined as a discipline – and no longer as a neutral technique – the aim of rhetoric today is to train (good) orators who possess the dispositions to act (well), speak (well) and think (well) in the context of contemporary pluralist democracy and its values. These dispositions could be called, in the vocabulary of virtue ethics, “rhetorical virtues” or “speaker virtues”.

Mechanisms of Lexical Cohesion in Arabic Political Discourse

This paper deals with the analysis of the main devices of lexical cohesion used in Arabic political discourse. We carry out the analysis applying Halliday and Hasan’s theoretical framework of cohesion. The data of the analysis consists of the inaugural speeches of two presidents of Egypt, Morsi and el-Sisi. The main goal of the research is to determine the types and function of lexical cohesion, to mark cohesive mechanisms in political speeches, and to confirm the hypothesis that the type of text and its function can indicate the extent to which certain types of cohesive ties will be used. The results of the study reveal that inaugural speech appears as a persuasive discourse and an argumentative space of dominant use of repetition, to a lesser extent synonymy, hyponymy, meronymy, antonymy and collocation, with the goals of highlighting topical issues of national relevance and promoting a certain ideology.

Using Persuasive Discourse Strategies to Strengthen Arguments in School Parliamentary - Style Debates

Purpose - This research investigates the use of persuasive discourse strategies to strengthen arguments in parliamentary-style school debates. The research focuses specifically on the use of the three persuasive discourse strategies (quasilogical, presentational and analogical) proposed by Barbara Johnstone (2012). Methodology - The research design employed is action research that is qualitative in nature utilizing discourse analysis as the method for data analysis. Findings - The victory of the winning team can be attributed to the effective use of these three strategies during the debates. The persuasive strategies consisted of repetition, questions, appeals, using logical reasoning, giving examples and storytelling method. The study shows that persuasive discourse strategies, if effectively used to develop the argument structure, will prove to be an effective method to win debates. Significance - The findings of the study are useful for school debaters and teachers, trainers or coachers of school debating teams.

The social engineering of civility in a progressive middle school

This paper discusses the efforts of teachers at a progressive U.S. middle school to socially engineer the ontology of a group of 7th and 8th grade girls to become more inclusive in their relationships with their peers. I argue that this effort was authoritative and that the teacher-promoted civility discourse usurped students' genuine dialogic investigation of the realities faced in their relationships with each other. In response to these social engineering efforts, I discuss the need for ontological, eventful dialogue as characterised by Bakhtin's (1999) notion of internally persuasive discourse to sensitively and meaningfully address interpersonal conflict and social exclusion.

Impact of Credibility of Online Information on ADHD in the MENA Region

Recent studies have focused on mental and physical disabilities and disorders, particularly in the Arab world. However, there has been a lack of research on online information about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the discourse in which this information is presented on websites in the MENA region. This study aims to evaluate the credibility and accuracy of online information about ADHD, and the language discourse in which it is presented, in the Arab world. The study collected 22 landing pages of ADHD websites from ten Arab countries and applied three stages of inductive qualitative and partial quantitative approach: website credibility, website content analysis, and language discourse analysis. The findings showed that few websites(13%) had high credibility, and most did not have credibility elements on their landing page. Majority of the websites(86%) discussed key ADHD issues, but spread misleading information about ADHD. The discourse analysis revealed that some websites(23%) used authoritative discourse (AD), 27% used internal persuasive discourse (IPD), 23% used AD-IPD, and 27% were neutral. These findings suggest that the discourse used to discuss ADHD leans towards the AD where the science voice is dominant. This study highlights the need to improve the credibility, accessibility, and accuracy of online information on health-related topics, particularly for caregivers, parents, and teachers who are the first line spotters of ADHD symptoms in the MENA region.

Dialogic Appropriation in Academic English Literacy and Pedagogy: Transnational and Translingual Praxis

ABSTRACT This essay presents a decade-long reflective account of resisting (in) and appropriating English that I have experienced as a young, female academic from the Middle East who has been engaged in teaching and researching Academic English pedagogy transnationally. Informed by Bakhtin’s philosophy of dialogue and his notions of insided-ness, outsided-ness and in-between-ness, I highlight the ideological complexities associated with teaching (in) English in both Anglophone and non-Anglophone contexts. I unpack these complexities through diverse scenarios where the tension between ‘Internally Persuasive Discourse’ and ‘Authoritative Discourse’ of English was evident. I propose an alternative curriculum, namely English for Dialogic Purposes as a rich way of appropriating in English and for the English-dominated discourse of academia to allow for polyphony of voices and boundary learning, vital for the multicultural and plurilingual world of education.

INTERACTIONAL METADISCOURSE MARKERS IN DENTISTRY CASE REPORTS

Metadiscourse is essential in creating and organizing persuasive discourse, taking into account the norms and expectations of parties involved. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of interactional (interpersonal) metadiscourse markers in dentistry case reports, analyze their functions within the text, and evaluate their effectiveness in establishing the writer's credibility and authority in managing textual interactions. The research material included a collection of 60 clinical case reports sourced from special dentistry journals for 2017 – 2022. The larges share of all lexical interactional metadiscourse markers is represented by hedges, attitude markers are nearly one-third as much, while self-mentioned markers, and, especially, boosters and engagement markers are underrepresented. Deliberate, cautious expressions of scientific claims mainly achieved in the dentistry case reports by using hedges can bring in establishing credibility more than authoritative stances. The prevalence of hedges can be a way for dental professionals to indicate that their statements are not absolute or definitive. This is particularly important in a field like dentistry, where there may be multiple treatment options or varying levels of certainty about diagnoses. Attitude markers are used to evoke agreement among readers and create a sense of shared understanding, drawing the readers into a collaborative framework of agreement. Boosters as signals of confidence and certainty in the claims being made and engagement markers that propagate the author’s view are barely present in the dentistry case reports. Most of the interactional markers are located in the Discussion and Conclusion sections.

Tensions in an Identity‐Oriented Language Teaching Practicum: A Dialogic Approach

AbstractIn this study, we examine how teacher candidates navigate the tensions in their identity work as they complete the activities in the TESOL practicum course in Turkiye. Using the Bakhtinian approach to teacher identity, we conceptually maintain that identity work inevitably involves tensions that teachers encounter during their professional lives. We use a qualitative case study design to explore how two teacher candidates (Erdem and Murat) experience and understand identity tensions through dialogic engagement in an identity‐oriented practicum course. We collected data from a series of identity‐oriented activities that promote a dialogic space for teacher candidates to negotiate and enact their identities. We found that although their attempts to deal with the tensions varied, both teacher candidates made use of the self and community dialogues constructed through identity‐oriented teacher learning activities. Pushing back at authoritative discourses of language teaching prevailing in the university program and the practicum school, they engaged in identity work by constructing their internally persuasive discourses which guided their practice. Facing the contextual demands, Erdem raised doubts about his ideal way of teaching he tried out in the practicum, whereas Murat went beyond the past and the present by foregrounding his imagined identity which served as a liberating aspiration.

Italian davvero (‘really’) as a trigger of implicit contents in persuasive discourse

It is generally maintained that, as a modal adverb, Italian davvero ‘really’ signals a high degree of certainty attributed by the speaker to the modified linguistic material, or expresses a positive evaluation. Differently from other modal adverbs, in its absolute use, davvero can react to an interlocutor’s statement, reinforcing it or questioning it, thus expressing a judgement on an already existing assertion. In political monologues, we observe that the existence of an “interlocutor’s voice” responsible for an asserted content can be presupposed, with davvero being the trigger of such presupposition. In such cases, a second implicit content (a conversational implicature) is also generally conveyed which expresses the epistemic judgement of the speaker. We observe that this happens typically in some specific discourse configurations (i.e., questions and conditional subordinates) and we label this pragmatic enrichment ‘polemic polyphonic judgement’. We also show the manipulative potential of this pragmatic phenomenon. We finally suggest that davvero can trigger a conversational implicature also in other linguistic configurations, and we propose that context, and more specifically the stretch of text in which the adverb occurs, whether argumentative or non-argumentative, plays a crucial role in this pragmatic process.

A Pragmatic Analysis of Nelson Mandela’s Speech at Harvard University

This article studies Nelson Mandela’s speech at Harvard University to understand his rhetorical skills. In this speech, he talks about how South Africans face disparities and injustice due to their race. He emphasizes the need for reconceptualization and redefining the economic system's precepts, which could benefit all regardless of race, gender, and ethnicity. The speech has been analyzed using Leech’s Maxims of Politeness and Aristotle’s Theory of Persuasion to investigate how rhetorical and politeness strategies have been used. The analysis shows that Mandela used Leech’s Maxims of Politeness as complementary to Aristotle’s strategies of persuasion to achieve desired communicative goals. He uses different strategies of logos and ethos to build a persuasive discourse. Besides, he uses modesty and approbation maxim and humour at the cost of self as the main strategies of politeness. Politeness complements his persuasive appeals and makes them more effective.

Small Moves: New Teachers’ Perceptions of Authoritative Discourse

Novice teachers experience language about literacy instruction from a variety of sources. This longitudinal case study uses Bakhtin’s notions of authoritative and internally persuasive discourse to consider how four novice teachers negotiated messages regarding literacy instruction from the conclusion of preservice education through their first 2 years of teaching. Although the challenges of the initial years of teaching have been studied, limited attention has been given to the ways in which novice teachers negotiate and take up language about literacy instruction within their school contexts. Interviews and email journals were used as data sources. Findings reveal that novice teachers perceived authoritative discourse from curricula, programs and assessments, and instructional expectations of administrators or senior colleagues. Participants accessed internally persuasive literacy discourses through questioning, supplementing, and changing literacy programs they perceived as required by authorities. Implications for teacher educators, researchers, and school personnel are discussed.

Student ethnic identity and heritage language ideologies at a Chinese Saturday school

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the role of language ideology in four students’ ethnic identity during one stage. I employ Bakhtin’s concepts of ideological becoming, and of authoritative and internally persuasive discourse to explore how the student participants are conscious of language and social worlds, including their heritage language and ethnic group. The data collection in this study took place through semi-structured interviews with four eighth and ninth graders at a Chinese heritage language school in the USA. Based on Tse’s (1998a) ethnic identity development model, three student participants, Arthur, Paul, and Jack, appear to be at Stage 2. However, they express no ideological inheritance: Mandarin Chinese is not my heritage language, which does not fall anywhere along this ‘continuum’ of Stage 2, Ethnic Ambivalence/Evasion, in Tse’s model. Tse (1997) examined the possible links between ethnic identity and language attitude, but Bakhtin’s concepts may provide a more in-depth analysis of the four students’ ethnic identity development. These findings also imply that the Chinese school should provide more opportunities for immigrant students to be exposed to their heritage language and culture, which can help them find connections to the culture and Mandarin Chinese.