Title: Persuasion and Connection of Words: Discursive Strategies and Interpersonal Resources in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Inaugural Speech of May 29, 2023
Tolulope Adeoluwa Akinseye
Department of English, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Abstract
Political speeches serve as a platform for communicating policy agendas, motivating collective action, and nurturing a sense of unity among the citizens. Specifically, this paper focuses on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inaugural speech, examining the discursive strategies and interpersonal resources, to provide insights into the intricate interplay of language and power dynamics, contributing to our understanding of political communication and its implications for leadership and public engagement. Drawing on van Dijk’s ideology stance and Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics, the study explores the ideological and social functions of his speech. The findings reveal topicalization and actor/situation descriptions within his speech, highlighting key themes, ideas, and the polarization of “us” versus “them”, which reinforces his ideological stance. Furthermore, the speech showcases lexicalization techniques, including synonyms, collocations, repetition, parallelism, and metaphors to enhance clarity, impact, and rhetorical effectiveness, while also conveying nuanced meanings within his speech. Modal verbs in the speech demonstrate the utilization of epistemic, deontic, and dynamic modality, with deontic and dynamic modality emphasizing President Tinubu’s strong commitments, obligations, and proactive engagement, while epistemic modality suggests a lesser emphasis on expressing uncertainties. Moreover, the deployment of personal pronouns reflects his perspective and attitude toward the audience. The inclusive/exclusive use of “we” fosters a sense of unity, shared responsibility, and emphasizes his connection with the people. The analysis offers valuable insights into the intricate interplay of language and rhetorical strategies, contributing to a deeper understanding of political communication and its impact on leadership and public engagement.
Keywords:
Discursive strategies, Interpersonal resources, Persuasion and connection,
President Tinubu’s Inaugural speech
How to Cite this Paper:
Akinseye, T. A. (2023). Persuasion and Connection of Words: Discursive Strategies and Interpersonal Resources in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Inaugural Speech of May 29, 2023. Atras Journal, 4(2), 143-179
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