Description
Book SynopsisContemporary politics is mass-communication politics. Politicians are not only seen and heard, they are seen and heard in close-up through television appearances, speeches, interviews, and on social media. In this book, the authors analyse the ways in which politicians communicate with each other, the media, and the electorate; they also discuss the implications of contemporary political discourse on the democratic process as a whole.
Politicians in interviews are typically castigated for their evasiveness. However, microanalytic research shows that there is more to political discourse than this apparent ambiguity. This book reveals how equivocation, interruptions, and personal antagonism can offer valuable insights into a politician's communicative style. The authors review their empirical research not only on political interviews, but also on speeches, parliamentary debates, and political journalism. Further insights include how political speakers interact with their audien
Table of Contents
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Part I. Concepts and Methods
Chapter 1. Microanalysis
Influences on microanalysis
Central features of microanalysis
Chapter 2. Theoretical Approaches
The social skills model
Face and facework
Overall conclusions
Chapter 3. Techniques of Analysis
Transcription
Speaker-audience interaction
Question-response sequences
Conclusions
Part II. Empirical studies of political discourse
Chapter 4. Claps and Claptraps: How Political Speakers and Audiences Interact
Claptraps: Techniques for inviting applause
Factors that affect speaker-audience interaction
A model of speaker-audience interaction in political speeches
Conclusions
Chapter 5. Being Slippery? Equivocation in Political Interviews
How much do politicians equivocate?
In what ways do politicians equivocate?
Equivocation profiles of leading politicians
Why do politicians equivocate?
Face and facework in political interviews
Equivocation and deception
Equivocation and the use of implicit discourse
Equivocation and culture
Conclusions
Chapter 6. The Westminster Punch and Judy Show? Leaders’ Exchanges at Prime Minister’s Questions
A background to PMQs
Overview of PMQs adversarialism
Distinctive features of PMQs discourse
The punch of PMQs?
Conclusions
Chapter 7. Political Journalism
Adversarialism
Discussion and conclusions
Part III
Chapter 8. Summary and Conclusions
References
Index
