Role In Political Discourse Research Articles

Public Perception of Hate Speech on Social Media (Facebook) during the 2023 General Elections in Nigeria

In the contemporary global landscape, the advent of information and communication technology has interconnected societies, fostering increased civic engagement. Notably, social media platforms, a manifestation of this technological innovation, play a vital role in political discourse, drawing active participation from politicians, political parties, and their supporters. However, the utilization of these platforms in the context of electoral campaigns, particularly in nations like Nigeria, has raised concerns due to the dissemination of political information carrying adverse repercussions. This study delves into the examination of the public's perceptions regarding hate speech on Facebook during Nigeria's 2023 general elections. Employing a survey research strategy and leveraging convenient sampling, data were collected from residents within the geographical scope of Kwali Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria. The research framework drew upon the public sphere theory to elucidate its core objectives. Findings underscored the prevalence of hate speech on Facebook during the 2023 elections, attributing it to factors such as financial inducements, conspiracies, lack of citizen journalist training, religious interests, and sectional, tribal, and political influences. Notably, Facebook emerged as a platform for disseminating speeches that fueled animosity toward politicians, tribes, religions, and sections, instigating widespread antipathy without substantial knowledge of the targeted individuals or candidates. The research also highlighted the use of Facebook for insults, harassment, and the propagation of divisive narratives, contributing to tribal and religious conflicts, heightened tensions, attacks, disparities, and internal discord. This study's implications suggest a potential undermining of Nigeria's democratic progress. As a remedy, the study advocates for the responsible and positive use of social media platforms by users, especially during critical events such as elections.

Exploring TikTok's Role in Political Discourse: A Content Analysis of GE15 and SE2023 in Malaysia

TikTok is a social media platform that gained immense popularity and particularly favored by the younger population in Malaysia for its interesting feature focused on short video content. The latest trend in the political environment in Malaysia during Malaysia's 15th General Election and State Election 2023 is that TikTok has become a major platform for political parties and individuals to promote their respective sides. This study highlights how politicians from political parties and individuals have used TikTok as an election campaign platform to promote their political stance. The method used for this study is qualitative content analysis, utilizing purposive sampling by leveraging the TikTok post. Filter and hashtag were used to filter the posts taken from TikTok. This research applied five main themes and 20 subthemes adopted based on the literature review search. It was found that most of the political content in TikTok was in the form of entertainment meant to engage with the younger audience. Meanwhile, most of the political content associated with the political involvement of Malaysian youth was informational content posted by politicians and experienced voters.

The discourse of American and British political interviews

The aim is to conduct a comparative analysis of the political discourse of Great Britain and the United States, in particular the study of the speech style of the leaders, the context and the role of the media in the formation of public opinion. Methods. The study employs the method of analysis of lexical units, the linguistic method of field structures, and the method of stylistic analysis of markers. Standard methods of mathematical statistics were used, as well as Cronbach’s alpha to check the reliability of the research methods. Conclusions. The study reveals the importance of the media’s role in political discourse, especially in the dissemination of political interviews and their public perception. A comparison of UK and US political discourse reveals both similarities and differences in the communication of political leaders, and helps analyse each country’s response to common challenges and issues. Prospects. Further research could focus on gendered aspects of political speech, including the analysis of the gender’s role in shaping political discourse and identifying gender stereotypes.

The complex interplay of causal narratives in public policy and political discourse

The study builds on Deborah Stone’s foundational work exploring the mechanics of causal narratives and their implications for framing problems, assigning responsibility, and guiding policy solutions. The purpose of this research is to unravel the complexities of causal narratives in contemporary politics and understand their profound influence on public policy and society at large. In the digital age, where information is abundant and the traditional gatekeeping role of media has diminished, causal narratives have become increasingly multifaceted. The study aims to explore how these narratives, influenced by the intersections of natural phenomena, human actions, politics, risk, and media, shape public understanding and policy directions. The study employs an extensive review of existing literature, covering works from political science, media studies, and public policy. This includes analyzing seminal texts like Deborah Stone’s “Policy Paradox” and recent studies on media’s evolving role in political discourse. Today’s causal narratives are multifaceted, influenced by a myriad of factors including political agendas, scientific findings, and media portrayals. In conclusion, the research highlights the dynamic nature of causal narratives in the digital age and their significant impact on public policy and societal outcomes. It underscores the need for nuanced understanding and strategic approaches in crafting and interpreting these narratives.

Умом Балканы не понять? Белов М.В., ред. Историческая политика в странах бывшей Югославии. СПб.: Нестор-История, 2022

The publication of the collective monograph “Historical Politics in the Countries of the Former Yugoslavia” is undoubtedly an important event both for political studies of historical memory and for Slavic and Balkan studies in Russia. Based on this monograph, D.Efremenko, using the example of the Western Balkan countries, reflects on the importance of the actor approach in memory studies, as well as on the role of historians in the formation of the collective memory of national communities. From his viewpoint, it makes sense to consider the phenomenon of post-Yugoslav “historical revisionism” discussed in the monograph not only as a substantive revision of the historiographic canon of Tito’s era, but also as a politically conditioned paradigm shift — the replacement of this canon with nation-centric historiographies. According to Efremenko, the texts presented in the monograph clearly indicate that historical narratives still play a crucial role in political discussions, being an integral component of the ontological security of macropolitical communities. In particular, the Kosovo (Vidovdan) myth continues to exert a strong influence on the Serbian political leadership’s decision-making related to the resolution of the conflict in Kosovo and the country’s integration into the European Union. This example demonstrates that problems in the field of ontological security can possess serious consequences for confirming or changing the international status of a country, as well as maintaining reliability and sustainability of alliances and partnerships with other states.

Entertainment journalism as a resource for public connection: A qualitative study of digital news audiences

Entertainment journalism has long been a marginal object of academic inquiry due to its reputation as a trivial distraction from public affairs journalism, yet this view has since been challenged by scholars who emphasize its substantive role in political discourse. Although previous research has disputed the idea that entertainment news helps audiences forge connections with public issues, the present study renews this line of inquiry at a time when this journalism has increasingly become a driver of political reporting and opinion, particularly in tandem with activism efforts addressing the media representation of marginalized identity groups as well as celebrity-fueled public advocacy. In-depth interviews are used to illuminate the interpretive processes of US audience members who engage online with this news, outlining how it is used as a resource for navigating the politics of media representation, for making political meanings from celebrity culture, and for fulminating right-wing backlash to cultural institutions.

Jamie A. Gianoutsos. The Rule of Manhood: Tyranny, Gender, and Classical Republicanism in England, 1603–1660.

Thomas Hobbes famously lamented that a diet of “Greek and Latine authors” had given his contemporaries a taste for “tumults” and rebellion. Jamie Gianoutsos’s fascinating new book, The Rule of Manhood: Tyranny, Gender, and Classical Republicanism in England, 1603–1660, echoes Hobbes’ assessment and resituates classical republican discourse at the heart of English prerevolutionary and revolutionary political culture. She adds a twist, however. To fully understand republican thought, we must acknowledge how inextricably its core ideas—about tyranny and liberty, political virtue and resistance—were connected to ideals of manhood. Gianoutsos argues that educated Englishmen were deeply familiar with classical republican concepts of good and bad governance. Ancient histories and prescriptive texts valorized men whose virtus—masculine virtues of self-control, temperance, rationality, and military prowess—fitted them for public life, and denounced tyrants as “failed men” ruled by their passions, whose effeminacy corrupted the state. Gianoutsos argues further that these classical discourses of masculine virtue and unmanly tyranny had contemporary resonance, structuring critical perceptions and images of political misrule under the early Stuart kings. Overtly republican—and deeply masculinist—ideas thus played a key role in political discourse before the revolutionary events of the 1640s; and, as English republicanism flowered in the 1640s and 1650s, ideals of masculinity remained central to its meaning.

Political Practices and Mechanisms of Influence on Public Perceptions of Science

The paper focuses on studying public attitudes toward science in Bulgaria and the role of political discourse in shaping public expectations and perceptions. The study's methodology includes an analysis of theoretical concepts and their empirical verification with data from a quantitative Eurobarometer survey (Special Eurobarometer 516) and a discourse analysis of the representation of the scientific sphere in the public debate. The Bulgarian social reality clearly shows a blurring of the role, nature, and participation of science in societal development, the imposition of populist societal expectations towards it, as well as political statements that abuse the reputation of the scientific sphere and its representatives.

THE ENGLISH / ARABIC TRANSLATION METHODS OF METAPHORS AND IDIOMS: SPEECHES OF KING ABDULLAH II

Translation is a process of transferring meanings from a source language into a target language. Translators often state that figurative language like metaphor and idiom present challenges in the translation process.Metaphors and idioms play a central role in political discourse; they are used for rhetorical persuasive purposes This research aims at finding the translation methods provided by the Royal Court translators when translating metaphors and idioms in the political speeches of king Abdullah II of Jordan from English into Arabic. In the present study, Vinay and Darbelnet (1995) theory of translation methods is adapted in order to achieve the objectives of the study. Vinay and Darbelnet (1995) classify the translation methods into calque, borrowing, literal, equivalence, modulation, adaptation, and transposition. This study deploys qualitative method in analyzing metaphors and idioms in the speeches of king Abdullah II. The main data for this research are the speeches and discussion papers of his majesty King Abdullah II which are published in his official website: (http://www.kingabdullah.jo) . The findings of the study revealed that translators of the royal court apply Vinay and Darbelnet translation methods (1995) in translating both metaphors and idioms. namely, borrowing, claque, literal, transportation, modulation, equivalence, and adaptation.

Бинарная концептуальная оппозиция «МЫ – ОНИ» в современном англоязычном политическом дискурсе

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of the binary conceptual opposition “We – They” in modern English political discourse. One of the frequent ways of speech manipulation in political discourse is the use of the binary conceptual opposition “We – They”, which has the central role in political discourse in general. It is established that the analyzed opposition is variable and can be used at different levels – external and internal. Materials and Methods. The speeches and statements of the President of the United States of America Joe Biden for the period from January 2 to February 24, 2023 are considered as the material of the study. The frequency of use of lexical units used to represent the opposition “We – They” is determined using the LancsBox corpus manager application. Analysis. It is identified that various strategies and tactics are used in political discourse to influence the recipients of information by politicians due to the need to prove their opinion, convince the recipients of the correctness of actions, emphasize their importance and significance for the whole country. The primary objective of the study is to systematize the discursive tools of speech influence in political discourse, which are based on conceptual oppositions. Results. The significance of the results lies in the possibility of using the obtained data for an adequate perception of the information presented in the political discourse, on the one hand, and for creating own political texts, on the other hand. The scientific novelty lies in the analysis of modern material and in the effort to build a linguistic model of the use of the binary conceptual opposition “We – They” in Joe Biden’s political discourse. The novelty is also characterized by the statistical data provided, obtained using automated text processing and the creation of an electronic corpus, which can be further expanded by speeches of other political figures. The adaptability of the developed electronic corpus opens up the possibilities of the further computer-aided study of binary conceptual oppositions in political discourse with reference to the methods of digital linguistics.

Questioning Fact-Checking in the Fight Against Disinformation: An Audience Perspective

ABSTRACT Fact-checking has been identified as a significant journalistic tool in the fight against disinformation. Relevant studies have focused on its emergence as a movement within journalism aiming at renewing the profession, as well as its effectiveness in challenging disinformation, especially during elections. However, little has been said about how audiences themselves understand fact-checking and employ it in their daily consumption of news. In this article, we answer these questions by drawing upon two sets of data. The first consists of fourteen focus group discussions in the UK, which included 52 participants, and were conducted online between April and May 2021. The second consists of two qualitative surveys that explored news consumers’ understandings of fact-checking and their evaluations of current fact-checking practices of UK media during the same period. We conclude that the use of fact-checking remains largely peripheral, and its influence is minimal in people’s news consumption. However, there is an appetite for more fact-checking in television news, as a way of holding politicians into account and helping the public better understand politics. In this context, we argue, if fact-checking is to play an important role in political discourse, it should become a regular part of broadcast journalism.

STRATEGIES AND TACTICS OF MANIPULATIVE INFLUENCE IN TERMS OF POLITICAL DISCOURCE: ANALYSIS AND CLASSIFICATION

Objective. The objective of the present article is to investigate the problem of defining the «strategy» and «tactics» of manipulative influence in political discourse, to study the existing classifications of scientific communication strategies and tactics and to analyze their features. Methods. The main scientific results are obtained by applying a set of general and special research methods, namely: analysis, systematization and generalization of scientific literature, induction, deduction (to identify approaches to understanding the nature of tactics and strategies of manipulative influence and their characteristics and features). Results. Discourse is one of the most important communicative categories that reflects speech interaction. The subject of special scientific interest is political discourse. Manipulation and mechanisms for choosing appropriate tactics and language tools play a leading role in political discourse. The influence of information flow on consciousness is an obvious fact. Most often, the manipulation is carried out in such a way that it is difficult to identify what the authors of the message or what tools they use. The urgency of studying the essence of strategies and tactics of manipulative influence on public opinion is explained by a large number of studies on this issue. Manipulation is a complex phenomenon, its implementation is carried out through the use of certain strategies and tactics. Manipulation involves a special presentation of information, which is carried out in such ways as distortion of information (from open untruth to shift the concept in the semantic, semantic field), which allows you to adjust the degree of psychological influence, create your own image of reality; concealment of information; manipulation with the method of submission of material and time of submission of information; subthreshold supply of information (taking into account the peculiarities of unconscious perception of information); overloading the recipient with information selected for a certain parameter. As the main objective of political communication is to gain and retain power, the description of the manipulative process uses appropriate strategies, tactics and language tools that are aimed at convincing the recipient of the correctness of their position as opposed to the position of political opponents.

The mechanism of metaphor in Russian political discourse

Metaphor is a key element of our article, which is known to modern cognitive science as a general mental activity, as an order of cognition, structuring and explanation of the world. The individual does not convey his thoughts exclusively through metaphors, but he also thinks in metaphors, organizing the world in which he lives through metaphors.
 The structure of the article includes a description of the metaphor, its general features and models and its role in political discourse, practical examples and a conclusion expressing our vision in working on the problem. This is part of our master's thesis on the analysis of political discourse.

English Personal Pronouns as a Manipulation Strategy in Political Discourse: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Manipulation is a discursive concept which plays a key role in political discourse by which politicians can impose some impact on their recipients through using linguistic features, most prominent of which are personal pronouns (Van Dijk, 1995). The aim of this study is to investigate how politicians utilize the personal pronouns, namely; We and I and their possessive forms as a tool of manipulating the audience's mind based on Van Dijk's "ideological square" which shows positive-self representation and negative-other representation (Van Dijk,1998:p.69). To this end, American President Donald Trump's 2020 State of the Union speech was chosen to be the data of analysis. Only (8) examples out of (226) extracts of his speech involving the use the personal pronouns along with their indications were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Results reveal that Trump uses these pronouns to exercise an ideological influence on his audience, basically to present himself positively. The study concludes that Trump strategically uses personal pronouns as a functional indication of collectivity, nationalism, and direct/shared responsibility. Findings might help linguists and political analysts to understand how politicians have the ability to exploit the linguistic characteristics in their language to fulfill their ends manipulatively.

Conceptual Metaphor in Presidential Political Speeches Delivered During Arab Spring

This paper investigates the use of conceptual metaphor as discourse pheno­menon, especially its persuasive role in political discourse. This study aims to identify conceptual metaphors that are expressed by metaphorical expressions in text corpus, to classify these metaphors by finding their source domains, to examine their conceptual structure and discourse potential. The purpose of the discussion is to describe and interpret social relations expressed by dominant metaphorical concepts that conceptualize political realm in a complex political setting and times of crisis and uprisings. Furthermore, the paper gives an insight into purposes and effects of using conceptual metaphors in this distinct political context. Text corpus consists of political speeches delivered by presi­dents of Tunis, Egypt and Libya during Arab Spring.

The Concept of “New Life” as a Powerful Psycholinguistic Element in the Inaugural Addresses of the U.S. Presidents

The article deals with the concept of “new life” in the inaugural addresses of the U.S. presidents. A political language, as a reflection of people’s behavior in a certain ethnocultural community, is under the consideration. The investigation of political language caused the special approach to the analysis of lexical units that comprise the semantic group “novelty”. Based on this analysis a group of words that have the common sema “new” was singled out. The means of expressions and stylistic devices that presidents used to express the idea of “new life” were determined. The presidents make people believe in their ability to take new actions and change the situation, lead the nation to new, better life. Adjective “new” is often used by the presidents in context of the necessity to revitalize old values, to renew the nation spiritually. Analysis of inaugural address of American presidents showed that ideas of “new life” run through the entire speech of every president. In this article the role of the idea of “new life” in inaugural addresses of American presidents and means of its conveying has been studied. Model of a “new life” can be rather complex, needs more or less strong argumentation. The very word-combination the “better life” predetermines that this life should be different from the existing one, i.e. new. Thus concept of “new life” plays important role in political discourse. Consequently, our research may be understood not only as belonging to a narrow sphere of analysis of political discourse but to wider branch of science – linguistic political science.

Talking Politics: Creating a Course for Incoming Freshman on Political Discourse

Efforts to teach civic engagement address not only students’ political knowledge but also their skills and dispositions. Although the scholarship of teaching and learning has explored the role of political discussion in the pre-college classroom extensively, attention to the topic at the college-level has been limited. Given the challenges campuses currently face regarding freedom of expression, there is value in featuring political discussion in college instruction. In this paper, we share our experiences in creating and piloting a one-credit course for incoming freshmen entitled “Talking Politics: Disagreeing Without Being Disagreeable”. Learning objectives, course content, and assessment tools are outlined as well as our plans to enhance future iterations. We hold that learning to “talk politics” with those who disagree with us is a core democratic skill and that this course offers a promising approach to imparting this skill.

Framing a murder: Twitter influencers and the Jamal Khashoggi incident

ABSTRACT Social media have played a significant role in political discourse across the Mediterranean in recent years. In this research note, we showcase the usefulness of social media data for political analysis by focusing on the main Arabic Twitter hashtag following the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, October 2018. We collect a sample of almost 2.4 million tweets posted by nearly 370,000 Twitter accounts. We show that just 281 accounts drove 80% of the discourse, and that these accounts can be reliably clustered into separate ideological camps representing different social forces of Egyptian, Turkish, European, and Gulf origin, arrayed against or in support of Saudi Arabia’s regional agenda.

El Salvadoreño y la formación de opinión pública en el contexto de la primera guerra federal centroamericana, 1828-1829

En este artículo se aborda el estudio del periódico El Salvadoreño, atendiendo particularmente al uso que sus editores hicieron de algunos de los conceptos que fueron sustanciales en el ejercicio discursivo de los nuevos Estados hispanoamericanos, tales como revolución, aristocracia, pueblo, ciudadano y patriotismo, en el contexto de la primera guerra federal centroamericana (1826-1829). Destaca que uno de los objetivos del periódico era el de formar una opinión pública nacional favorable a los intereses salvadoreños en la citada contienda. Asimismo, se trata del rescate de un texto periódico poco conocido cuyo valor testimonial resulta relevante para el conocimiento de Centroamérica en aquellos años, en particular de El Salvador.

More Than Just Facts: Promoting Civic Media Literacy in the Era of Outrage

Amid rising concerns about “fake news,” efforts have emerged to explain the spread and impact of misinformation on youth civic engagement. These efforts have focused primarily on the role of social media in exposing youth to factually inaccurate civic information and the factors that influence the ability to discern the accuracy of such information. A less explored aspect has been the impact of the rise of “outrage language,” defined as language that evokes strong emotional responses (e.g., fear, anger, disgust) that communications scholars have documented as playing a larger role in political discourse over the past few decades (Berry & Sobieraj, 2014). This article draws on three recent studies of digital media and youth civic engagement to discuss (a) the role of participatory media in exposing youth to outrage language in civic discourse, (b) the challenges of balancing attention to the emotional and factual elements when participating in online civic discourse, and (c) how the development of online counterpublics through high school classrooms can help students create models of productive online discourse. The article concludes with suggestions for future research and educational interventions that address the challenges associated with outrage language.