Perspective in the discourse of war

Abstract

The following article applies both quantitative and qualitative methods of research to markers of perspective in a TV interview of Colin Powell on the CNN LARRY KING LIVE program from November 26, 2001. Perspective is well established in phenomenology and social psychology; its starting point is the conviction that every utterance expresses a point of view. From previous research, we accept the dialogical nature of perspective (see O’Connell & Kowal 1998) and further argue that perspective can be observed through measures of orality and literacy and through referencing (name and pronoun reference). The following measures of orality and literacy are examined: Back channeling hesitations, interruptions, contractions and elisions, first person singular pronominals, interjections and tag questions, and turn transitions from interviewer to interviewee and vice versa. We argue further that Colin Powell’s perspective stresses the division between “we” and “they” with regard to the then imminent involvement in Iraq. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Bill Clinton on the Middle East: Perspective in Media Interviews

“…Clinton's world is further divided into 'we' and 'they' in a manner reminiscent of what Suleiman and O'Connell (2003) found in a Colin Powell CNN interview. However, while we examined the narrower references of 'we' and 'they' on the part of Colin Powell before the invasion of Iraq, our current research examined such references in a broader way, inclusive of descriptions.…”

“…He is used as a metonym for the Iraqi people and Iraq. This is similar to the way in which Colin Powell refers to Iraq and the Iraqi people with Larry King in an interview at the time the USA military was getting ready to attack Iraq (see Suleiman & O'Connell 2003). Clinton (Excerpt 4) responds to a question from Juan Williams about the type of advice George Bush is getting on foreign policy:…”

“…Every utterance expresses a physical and socio-cultural orientation on the part of the speaker, a point of view on his or her part (see Suleiman & O'Connell 2003). Earlier research (e.g., O'Connell & Kowal 1998) has shown that markers of orality and literacy, in addition to referencing (including primarily both naming and pronoun reference; see Suleiman & O'Connell 2003), do indeed index personal perspective. Previous research has also shown that perspective is dialogic in nature (e.g., O'Connell, Kowal, & Dill 2004).…”