A Critical Discourse Analysis of Political Interview in Nigerian News Media
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Date
2023-05-23
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Journal of Languages, Linguistics and Literary Studies
Abstract
Several studies have been carried out on political discourse using different linguistic approaches of
Pragmatics, Critical Discourse Analysis, Stylistics as well as implicature. However, little attention has been
given to the blend of Critical Discourse Analysis and rhetoric as a means to unravel different ideological stances
in political discourse. Thus, this paper investigated how ideological beliefs of individuals or groups were
conveyed through linguistic expressions to manipulate those of others in political interviews of Nigerian
politicians. A total of two (2) interviews conducted by Channels Television were randomly selected. The data
for the study were video files downloaded from the official YouTube page of the Channel Tv station and were
transcribed so as to draw out relevant extracts. van Dijk’s 2006 socio cognitive aspects of Critical Discourse
Analysis and rhetoric were used as its theoretical framework. Findings revealed that ideology is an individual’s
perception or experience of the world. It also revealed that the interviewees in the selected interviews deployed
language as a strategy of domination and supremacy by exploiting lexical items and strong imperatives which
allow them to impose their views on others. Commonly, it was found that they created asymmetrical power
relations of privileged ‘we’, ‘us’ and less privileged ‘they’, ‘them’ through positive self-presentation of us and
negative other presentation of them. It was also revealed that certain rhetorical and ideological strategies such as
actor description, polarisation, burden, categorisation, comparison, consensus, populism, vagueness and appeal
to emotions among others present in the selected political interviews are implicitly used to project different
ideological positions of the politicians.
Keywords: Critical discourse, Ideology, Politics, Power, Political interview
Biographical notes: Aliyu Uthman Abdulkadir holds a Masters Degree in English Language from Kwara
State University, Malete. He is a Lecturer in the Department of English, Kwara State University, Malete, Kwara
State, Nigeria.
Description
Journal of Languages, Linguistics and Literary Studies (JLLLS), Vol. 3, No. 2, 2023
ISSN: 2788-4481 (Print) | 2788-4473 (Online)
Journal Website: https://journals.jozacpublishers.com/jllls
https://doi.org/10.57040/jllls.v3i2.43