Linguistics Of Political Argument, The: Spin-Doctor And, The

Description:
This text examines the relationship between the White House, in the person of its press secretary, and the press corps through a linguistic analysis of the language used by both sides. A corpus was compiled of around 50 press briefings from 1996 to 1999, covering the period of the Kosovo crisis as well as covering a number of topics, from the budget to the Clinton-Lewinsky affair. This work demonstrates how concordance technology and the detailed linguistic evidence available in corpora can be used to study discourse features of text and communicative strategies of speakers. It should be of interest to linguists involved in corpus-based linguistics and pragmatics, as well as sociolinguists and students and scholars interested in communications, politics and the media.

Table of Contents:
Foreword: The spin-doctor and the wolf-pack Introduction: Corpora, discourse, politics and the press 1. Briefings as a type of discourse 2. Footing: Who says what to whom 3. Voices of the press 4. Voices of the podium 5. Footing shift for attribution: 'According to the New York Times this morning' 6. 'Rules of Engagement': The interpersonal relationship between the podium and the press 7. Politics, power and politeness 8. Conflict talk 9. The form of words 10. Metaphors of the world 11. Rhetoric, bluster and on-line gaffes 12. Evasion and pursuit 13. General Conclusions