Rhetorical Codes of Political Discourse: the Realization of the Strategic Potential of Acrothesis

Abstract

Pragmatics and expressiveness of texts are formed through rhetorical devices. However, when evaluating the potential of specific rhetorical devices, one should consider the discourse characteristics of the text. Modern linguistics draws attention to the suggestive nature of the rhe-torical devices that form the structure of utterances. In this regard, there is an increasing interest in in-depth analysis of rhetorical techniques used to implement high impact strategies. A systematic study of rhetorical devices within a certain discourse would give a clearer idea of their rhetorical function. Specific strategies can be understood by examining rhetorical devices in the context of the pragmatics and the genre of a given text. Thus, information about a specific rhetorical device is converted from separate independent facts into a conditional sign unity, or a code. Given the discourse specificity of this code, linguists describe it as “rhetorical.” By analyzing the text, we identify the rhetorical code of the discourse in question. The more rhetorical devices used in the discourse are considered, the more rhetorical codes can be used to form new speech strategies. In this article, we consider the implementation of acrothesis in political discourse. Acrothesis is a rhetorical device based on the relationship of affirming something at the expense of denying its opposite. It is implemented through utilizing homogeneous members of the sentence with the obligatory negation of the opposite in meaning. Perceiving the structure and content of the rhetorical device reveals the perlocutionary purpose of the utterance, and analyzing the rhetorical device allows us to understand its properties and to identify which speech strategies are implemented by using acrothesis. Primarily, these are strategies of persuasion, persuasion, and manipulation. Principles of implementing speech strategies are important for understanding the structure of political discourse.