Insinuation in Political Speeches: A Pragmatic Analysis

Jaafar H. Ejam

doi:10.61856/9q99bq66

Authors

Jaafar H. Ejam Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61856/9q99bq66

Keywords:

Insinuation, Pragmatics, Speech Act Theory, Politeness, Political Discourse

Abstract

This paper examines the use of insinuation in American political rhetoric through selected speeches by Donald Trump and Barack Obama. Insinuation is treated as a rhetorical strategy through which speakers suggest ideas indirectly rather than state them explicitly, thereby influencing public perception and socio-political narratives. The study focuses on the meanings, characteristics, and functions of insinuation, particularly its role in helping speakers avoid direct responsibility for their claims and transfer the task of interpretation to the audience. It also explores the difficulty of classifying insinuation as a linguistic and pragmatic phenomenon and clarifies the distinction between insinuation and innuendo. Using a qualitative eclectic approach, the analysis draws on Speech Act Theory and Politeness Theory to examine the pragmatic strategies and communicative functions of insinuation in the selected political speeches.

References

Austin, J. L. (1962). How to do things with words. Oxford University Press. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/how-to-do-things-with-words-9780198245537

Bach, K., & Harnish, R. M. (1979). Linguistic communication and speech acts. MIT Press. https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262021364/linguistic-communication-and-speech-acts/

Bell, D. M. (1997). Innuendo. Journal of Pragmatics, 27(1), 35–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(97)88001-0

Bertuccelli Papi, M. (1996). Insinuating: The seduction of unsaying. Pragmatics, 6(2), 191–204. https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.6.2.04ber

Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813085

Fraser, B. (2001). An account of innuendo. In I. Kenesei & R. M. Harnish (Eds.), Perspectives on semantics, pragmatics, and discourse (pp. 321–336). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.90.24fra

Holdcroft, D. (1978). Words and deeds: Problems in the theory of speech acts. Clarendon Press. https://philpapers.org/rec/HOLWAD

Meibauer, J. (2019). Lying, implicating, and presupposing. In J. Meibauer (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of lying (pp. 193–202). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198736578.013.14

Oswald, S. (2022). Insinuation is committing. Journal of Pragmatics, 198, 158–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2022.07.006

Searle, J. R. (1965). What is a speech act? In M. Black (Ed.), Philosophy in America (pp. 221–239). Cornell University Press.

Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech acts: An essay in the philosophy of language. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139173438

Searle, J. R. (1979). Expression and meaning: Studies in the theory of speech acts. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511609213

Tsohatzidis, S. L. (1989). Two consequences of hinting. Philosophy & Rhetoric, 22(4), 288–293.

Vincent Marrelli, J., & Castelfranchi, C. (1981). On the art of deception: How to lie while saying the truth. In H. Parret, M. Sbisà, & J. Verschueren (Eds.), Possibilities and limitations of pragmatics: Proceedings of the Conference on Pragmatics, Urbino, July 8–14, 1980 (pp. 749–777). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.7.39vin

Wierzbicka, A. (1987). English speech act verbs: A semantic dictionary. Academic Press. https://books.google.com/books?id=aSx6AAAAIAAJ