PROPAGANDA IN POLITICS
INTRODUCTION
Propaganda is one
unique device of politics. This is mostly observed in any electioneering campaign.
Longe and Ofuanu (1996:17) argue that propaganda is solely introduced to damage
character. “Propaganda means information,
doctrinesopinion etc that are often derogatory, as in political propaganda
Films and plays.These are said to be derogatory because they tend to damage or
take away credit from something or someone. The sole purpose of propaganda is
to misinform and mislead and to consciously indoctrinate.“ The
use of propaganda many times, present the propagandist (that is the
person speaking) as a saint and the person the propaganda is aimed at as the
devil that is not fit to lead. The focus of this research however is to show
how language plays a significant role in political propaganda as it relates to
electioneering campaign. This work shall focus more on the 2007 general
electioneering campaign in Nigeria. Linguistics device propagandist use to
achieve their aim in the fare mentioned electioneering campaign shall be
brought to the fore.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
It has
been observed that previous researches addressed the role language plays in
persuading and educating the electorate during electioneering campaign .This is
also known as rhetoric’s. The researcher observed that much has not been done
on the effects of language on the contestants and the electorate with regard to
campaign of calumny (propaganda) is yet to be fully studied, with this in mind,
this study shall show that language has a great effect on both the electorate
and contestants as observed during the last 2007 general election in Nigeria.
AIM OF THE STUDY
Where
ever politics evolves, propaganda is a
major tool in deciding the vote. Propaganda itself
is not possible without language. This work is therefore aimed at showing
through vivid analysis that propaganda in
politics makes use of linguistics device in deciding where the podium of
influence should swing towards. This work will also show the forms and features
of propaganda as it relates to language use.
COLLECTION OF DATA
This
work sourced for data from both primary and secondary sources. Also information
relating to the topic under study was also sourced for from the internet. As
regards primary source, we got some texts on language and politics and we
believe they shall be of great help in making this work a success. Secondary
source involved information concerning political speeches of 2007 general
election in Nigeria.
SCOPE OF STUDY
This
work will dwell in language use and speech act. The study will focus on the
language use from the communication point of view and the effect it intend to
have on the hearer, employing these features: word coinage, vagueness,
repetition, abusive expression, attack on party name and slogan etc. being a
persuasive styles adopted by the politicians in political campaign as available
in data collected.1.5
LIMITATION OF STUDY The greatest limitation in this study
is finance. Finance needed in carrying out a standard research is not always
easy for any student including researcher .One actually need a lot of fund to
source for credible information and data as regarding the use of propaganda. Time
was also a big constrain as the researcher was made to work under a given
period of time which also affected the work.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
The
speech act theory introduced by British language philosopher known as J. L
Austin (1962) provide the analytical frame work (i.e. theoretical) upon which
the work is based .The theory analyses the role that utterance play in relation
to the behaviour or attitude of the speaker and the hearer in interpersonal
communication. It is communication ability defined with the respect to the
intention of the speaker while talking and the effect of his speech on the
listener. Every utterance has its own communicative purpose depending on the
specific speech context. Language use, according to Traugott and Pratt
(480:226) …is governed by a wide range of contextual factors, including social
and physical circumstances, identities attitudes, abilities and beliefs of
participants and relations holding between participants. Austin’s approach
begins with an analysis of the different things people do with words through
the ages, language philosophers have been impressed with language which has been
used to represent how the world is, to say what is or is not the case the
notion of truth has been central to the philosophy of language. He points out
the many other things people do with words they do not just represent how
things are; they ask questions, give commands, make suggestion give advice,
tell jokes, make promises, even insult, persuade and intimidate. This led
Austin to draw a threefold distinct kind of speech act:
Locutionary
Act – first, words have a distinct conventional meaning. The expression “The
cat sat on the mat” refers to a cat, a mat and relation between them, one
sitting upon the other. This ordinary sense of meaning constitutes the “what is
said” of any particular speech act. Illucutionary Act.- Secondly has it that by
saying certain words one actually commits an act. For example, in saying
“I do” at a wedding, one makes a promise in saying ‘will you?’ one asks a
question and in saying “you will” one gives order. Perlocutionary Act. Finally,
points out that by saying something, one performs an action by saying I do”.
One weds, by saying something like I will give you a better deal than the
competitor”, may cause a buyer to be persuaded and so on.
Connecting the three speech – Act However,
these different functions of word are not necessarily exclusive. Austin is
aware that many utterances can involve all the three kinds of acts. For
instance, saying ‘it’s hot’ is an illocutionary act describing how one feels.
It might also be taken in the context of a room with a close window as an
illocutionary act – a request to open the window finally as the hearer responds
by opening window, the single utterance has also perform a perlocutionary act.
The essence of speech act theory is that utterances are acts in themselves
capable of producing enormous and far-reaching result or consequences.
Utterances can affect our whole lives, they can deny us to carry out an
instruction, change an already existing state of affairs etc. The work propaganda in
politics: the use of language for effect in electioneering campaign will
be based on how language of calumny is used by politician to influence the
state of the mind of the hearer and to tarnish the image of their opponent.
This is achieved employing speeches in their campaigns; these campaign speeches
will serve as the data for this work. This is the analytical framework upon
which this work is built.
DEFINITION OF TERM
Since
the work involves other discipline other than linguistics, terminologies that
will be mentioned often in this work will be defined, such as:1.6.1 Language Language is any
system structure of sign and meaning for the communication of experience MKC
Uwajeh (2002)1.6.2 Politics Politics
has no universal definition but has been defined by different scholars from
their respective points of view. According to F.A.C Aramere (2003:3), “politics
is the struggle for political power and the use of that power to the
acquisition of other values. Power is therefore the central focus
of politics. 1.6.3 Election This
is act of choosing a representative or the holder of a particular office
usually by ballot. Electorate refers to the whole body of persons, who have the
right to vote in a country or area. Electioneering is the corresponding
adjective of the noun election. It refers to the activities of making speeches
and visiting people to try to persuade them to vote for a particular politician
or a political party The People in a country or in a country or an area, who
have the right to vote, 1.6.4 Propaganda According to Oyeneye (1997:41)
professor Calvin Coolidge (1964) as saying that propaganda seeks
to present part of the facts, to distort their relations , and to force
conclusion which could not be drawn from a complete and candid survey of all
the facts”
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