POSITIVE IMPOLITENESS STRATEGY IN POLITICAL DISCOURSE: A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF 2011-2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN SPEECHES IN SELECTED NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS

Abstract

The work investigates improper language use as a source of political and social instability in Nigeria. It tries to establish a connection between positive impoliteness strategy and insecurity in Nigeria and the debilitating consequences of such on virtually all strata of national development. Data were collected using purposive sampling technique from selected Nigerian newspapers that captured the campaign speeches of political actors from the two major political parties in Nigeria, the People Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) prior to the 2015 presidential election. The collected data were textually analyzed using Jonathan Culpeper framework on impoliteness strategies and John Austin’s Speech act theory. It was found that a strong link between positive impoliteness strategy and electoral violence in Nigeria. This positive impoliteness linguistic strategy, realized in name calling, disassociating from the other, exclude the others from an activity and others were deployed by our politicians, in a bid to discredit their opponent before the electorates, while presenting themselves as the best option for the masses. These speeches were ostensibly provocative, capable of triggering violent reactions from the opposition party, as evidenced in the wanton destruction of lives and properties during that period. The researchers recommend that in order to sustain the national integration and peaceful co-existence, our political actors, and every user of the English language in Nigeria must strive to use language appropriately and politely.