Chapter published in:
Political Discourse in Central, Eastern and Balkan Europe
Edited by Martina Berrocal and Aleksandra Salamurović
[Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture 84] 2019
► pp. 23–38

Chapter 2
Diffuse messages as aggression and violence in political discourse

Diffuse messages are characterized by an unclear axiological and/or illocutionary orientation. If this diffuseness is used to mislead addressees and to domineer over someone by misleading him or her, then the diffuse message can be seen as an act of aggression and linguistic violence. Diffuse messages are a rhetorical practice which can often be observed in authoritarian and totalitarian contexts, where they are used to wield power over the interlocutor. Examples are given from Russian political discourse from the early periods of the Soviet Union up until now.
Keywords: diffuse message, axiological orientation, illocutionary orientation, totalitarianism, political rhetoric, pragmalinguistics, aggression, linguistic violence, Lenin, Brezhnev, Putin
Article outline
  • 1.A soft voice
  • 2.A monument
  • 3.Diffuseness and vagueness
  • 4.Diffuseness in political rhetoric
    • Lenin
    • Stalin
    • Brezhnev
    • Putin
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 23 July 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.84.02kus
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