Discourse Analysis Of The Language Of Presidential Campaign In Ghana: Evidence From The 2008 General Elections

ABSTRACT

The work discusses the use of stylistic devices and other devices in presidential

campaign messages in Ghana. The author selects three of the 2008 presidential

campaign speeches of Prof. Atta Mills, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom and Nana Akuffo-

Addo the then presidential candidates of National Democratic Congress,

Conversion People’s Party, and New Patriotic Party respectively for the analysis.

The analysis is grounded on Fairclough’s (1995) in Critical Discourse Analysis,

claiming that there is a close link across text, discourse practice, and socio-cultural

practice. It also employs Walton’s (1997) observation in Propaganda Discourse

Analysis, which claims that propaganda discourse is indifferent to logical

reasoning. It employs one-sided argumentation, persuasive dialogue, emotive

language and persuasive definitions.

The work reveals that there is a link between the language (devices) employed by

the candidates, and socio-cultural practices of Ghanaians. It also reveals that

Ghanaian political campaign is audience-driven. The stylistic devices employed by

the candidates include historical allusion, metaphor, anaphora and repetition,

intertextuality, simile, personification, hyperbole and rhetorical question. The

other devices deployed by the candidates include actor description, use of virtue

words, polarization “We-They” categorization, vagueness, proof surrogate, ad

hominem, emotive expression, appeal to masses, number game rhetoric, national

self-glorification, downplayers, code-switching and promise. All the other devices

are propagandistic in nature except code-switching and promise.

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