Hillary Clinton's Evaluative Responses to her Email Controversy: An Appraisal Analysis ردود هيلاري کلينتون التقييمية بشأن الجدل القائم حول بريدها الإليکتروني: تحليل تقييمي

Abstract

The present study examines Hillary Clinton's evaluative responses regarding her thorny email problem in press conferences, presidential debates, testimony before Congress and some of the interviews conducted with her. Using Martin and White's ( 2005) Appraisal Theory, the study investigates the evaluation techniques used in Clinton's responses as well as their functions to highlight her ideological position on this sensitive issue that has aroused much controversy since its revelation in March 2015. Results reveal that Clinton employs various evaluation techniques that perform a number of functions. For example, in Affect, a subsystem of Attitude, unhappiness is used to express regret for using a personal server for official communications. In judgments of social esteem, tenacity is used to stress dependability whereas in judgments of social sanction, veracity expresses honesty. In the appraisal system of Engagement, the evaluation techniques used in dialogic contraction of heteroglossic utterances indicate a tendency to challenge alternative views. The evaluation techniques found in the appraisal system of Graduation are generally used to add force to the feelings expressed and evaluations made, and quantify email-related matters.