An Exploration of the Use of Emotional Discourse in Parliamentary Deliberations

Abstract

In Parliament, problem-solving argumentation calls for several thresholds of proof. This chapter presents the Rhetoric of Parliamentary. The role of such rhetoric is to articulate political motives and legitimize political action. This therefore calls for a review of language use as a concrete display of power: securing political power, challenging it, competing for it, or defending and consolidating it. In socio-historical periods marked by significant paradigm shifts and political polarizations, parliaments have played a decisive role in benchmarking current societal issues and exposing party-political agendas by debating the pros and cons of alternative political solutions. The chapter with the use of critical discourse analysis (CDA) reveals forms of power inherent in this discourse. CDA as a theoretical framework insists that there is no language that is neutral. Thus, CDA unravels unequal power relations, ideological inclinations and hegemony parliamentary discourse of this chapter.