Genre as a Context for Persuasion: The Construction of Identities in Different Forms of Institutionalised Discourse. A Case Study

Abstract

The study of argumentation in context has led to the investigation of persuasive strategies that may be regarded as (proto)typical of specific practices and genres. Combining argumentative analysis with genre theory, this chapter aims to explore one aspect of the persuasive process that parallels argumentation proper, belonging to the realm of ethical means of proof: the construction of discursive identities. After introducing genre as a pragmatic notion and its relation to persuasion, three theoretical aspects will be examined: the selection of the audience and the construction of agreement; strategies of enunciation and pronominal choices; the exploitation of metaphors and myths. These aspects of persuasive discourse will be investigated in two institutionalised genres of political communication in the US: the Presidential Announcement and the Victory Speech, choosing former US President Barak Obama as a case study. The aim of the research is to explore how the arguer constructs his ethical identity in the different generic contexts, constructing at the same time that of his audience. As is often the case in political discourse, beside the leader and his/her followers, the Enemy is brought on stage as a third fundamental character, thus completing a triad that is considered crucial in the narrative of contemporary political myths.