Abstract:
This study focused on critical discourse analysis in the position papers issued by the Affirmative Repositioning Movement (AR) and Popular Democratic Movement Youth League (PDMYL). Specifically, the study examined language use relating to youth empowerment issues. The overall objective of this research was to study the implications of language use by AR and PDMYL, including an attempt to understand their ideological stance. To achieve this overall objective, the study addressed the following specific objectives; to analyse the textual presentation of the two political formations, to describe how nominalisation and passivation are utilised in the textual presentation by the two formations and also to determine political rhetoric strategies dominantly used by the two political formations to maintain their narrative in the public domain. This was a qualitative study that adopted a constructivist worldview. As a desktop study, a case study design was used. The study population comprised position papers issued in the public domain by the two formations, and a sample consisting of ten (10) press releases was drawn, with five (5) from each. The statements were analysed at the sentence and syntax levels, looking at the semantic context of each sentence.
The analysis of the first objective indicates that AR has used illocutionary act type consisting of Assertives, Commissives and Expressives. The least utilised illocutionary act type is Declaratives. In comparison, the majority of the PDMYL statements comprise Assertives, Directives, and Commissives. Similar to AR, the least used type of illocutionary act is the Declaratives.
For the second objective, the results revealed that PDMYL was found to have used nominalisation in most instances than AR. However, with passivisation, the study showed that AR had utilised more passivised forms than PDMYL.
Lastly, the dominant rhetoric strategies used by AR include praises, attacks and criticisms and inclusive language. Other strategies included emotional appeal and general metaphors. As for PDMYL, the results showed that it utilised attacks and criticisms, praises and evidence.
The study made recommendations based on the outcome of the results, emphasising the need to use contemporary terminologies and language that is in keeping with the youth and the utilisation of less nominalised and passivised forms so that political promises are direct and easily accountable.
