A Rhetorical Analysis of the Presidential Election Campaign Discourse in Zambia

Abstract

Language is considered as a purely human and non-instinctive method of expressing feelings and yearnings by way of a system of freely produced symbols (Sapir, 1939). The noticeable role of language in the life of every human being and the society as a whole cannot be underestimated or over emphasised. This is because language is used as a medium of serenity, persuasion and advancement on one hand and a medium of uproar, disorder and retrogression on another hand. The present study focuses on a significant form of political discourse, the election campaigns. The term politics is from Greek: πολιτικός politikos, which denotes "of, for, or relating to citizens," in the course of making decisions pertaining to all members of each group (James, 2014). In a narrow way, the concept designates to accomplishing and exercising positions of governance, that is, organised control over a human community, especially a state. Furthermore, politics is the practice of the dispersion of power and resources within a given community as well as the interrelationship(s) between communities (James, 2014). Essentially, the study analyses political discourse. Johnson and Johnson (2000) explain political discourse analysis as the arena of discourse analysis which centres on discourse in political forums such as debates, speeches, and hearings as the phenomenon of interest. The main objective of the present study is to analyse rhetorical strategies in presidential campaign discourse in Zambia, and the study makes use of SFG as the framework guiding the study. Since the introduction of multi-party politics in Zambia in 1991, several political parties have been competing for political power. In Zambia, general elections are held every five years. These elections are preceded by rigorous political campaigns by different political parties characterised by all sorts of language as politicians solicit for votes. What matters in order to be understood during these campaigns, is not what politicians say, but rather how they present what they say. During the run up to the August 11, 2016 elections, there were nine presidential candidates who were vying for presidency. However, the race was between two leading contenders-Hakainde Hichilema for the United Party for National Development (UPND) and Edgar Lungu for the Patriotic Front (PF). The study focuses on one of the two main contenders

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“…For example, Mchakulu (2011) uses issue-specific frame theory for the study of Malawian parliamentary discourse, while Jakaza (2013) employs appraisal theory, pragma-dialectic theory of argumentation and controversy in studying Zimbabwean parliamentary discourse. Mwiinga (2015) employs a critical discourse analytical approach to study Zambian parliamentary discourse; and Peter, Mukuthuria and Muriungi (2016) use the Foucauldian discourse analysis theory to study Kenyan parliamentary debates. Amakali (2018) explores speech acts and their rhetorical purposes in the Namibian parliamentary discourse.…”