The persuasive and manipulative function of emotive expressions in the exposé of Donald Tusk

Bożena Matuszczyk

Bożena Matuszczyk - Uniwersytet Gdański

Magdalena Smoleń-Wawrzusiszyn

Magdalena Smoleń-Wawrzusiszyn - Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II

Abstract

The paper discusses the persuasive and manipulative function of emotive expressions in the expose of the newly designated Prime Minister that he delivers to the members of the Parliament. The present Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk presented his on 23 November 2007. lt is a text in which the logical order seems undermined by the rhetorical order. The domination of the rhetorical over the logical aspect sometimes even leads to conflicts with the grammatical order. This is all due to the extensive use of emotive utterances in the linguistic and the textual layer of the expose. A linguistic exponent of references to emotionality are the frequently repeated lexemes „to feel", „(a) sense (of)", and a set of emotional expressions such as: joy, sadness, affection, pride or shame. These expressions are used with reference to the Prime Minister himself, but also to the emotions of the society (I contend with sadness that, I am glad that, we were all moved, but we also felt ashamed). Among the factors that make Tusk's speech emotive there are also ameliorative terms (e.g. honourable, just, service, modesty and nobility), names of values depreciating the political opponents (e.g. cynicism, opportunism), as well as syntactic constructions (frequent repetitions, antithetic clauses).