Critical Discourse Analysis of PM N. Sharif’s UNOGA Discourse Deciphering Covert Rhetoric—Dialectical Perspective

Abstract

This rigorous research attempts to decipher the covert rhetoric -ideology of peace and justice-reflected in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's UNOGA address, 2015. This paper examines the relationship between text and elements of power and ideology reflected in PM's political discourse from dialectical perspective. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) bases on "social critique and transformative action for change on a critique of discourse" (Fairclough, 2015) and it advances from endoxa (opinion) to praxis (action) to reflect change in existing reality. The researcher employs Fairclough's (1989Fairclough's ( , 1995 three dimensions model that includes text analysis (description), processing analysis (interpretation) and social analysis (explanation). This study also assesses Faircloughian conjecture that "ideologies embed in texts" and "texts are open to diverse interpretations" (Fairclough, 1995). The selected speech of the PM in term of corpus' power and ideological components are critiqued and assessed. It is also attempted to decode how clandestine elements of power and ideology underpin the leaders' discourses and how their linguistic strategies and discourses exercise power and ideologies to shape opinion of the readers or listeners to understand realities better as "using of language involves something that goes beyond the acquisition of structures" (Yalden, 1987).

Communicative Analysis of Dialogical Interaction

“…Language, a need to communicate and power are inherent features of Homo sapiens nature (Barth-Weingarten, 2008;Gill & Azhar, 2018;Jakubowska-Branicka, 2014;Preston, 2017). The primary stimulus to the desire for power realization lies in the principle "the Care of the Self" (Foucault, 1998).…”