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Article published In:
Language and Dialogue
Vol. 8:2 (2018) ► pp.209–234

Definition as an argumentative strategy in parliamentary discourse

A cross-cultural and comparative approach

| “Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” Institute of Linguistics of the Romanian Academy

The present paper aims to investigate the main argumentative uses of definitions in various communicative contexts of the parliamentary discourse, on the basis of two sets of data, selected from the British and the Romanian Parliaments. Relevant categories of argumentative definitions are identified and described, by taking into consideration their linguistic structure and rhetorical features, as well as their current association with other types of arguments and pragmatic strategies. The cross-cultural and comparative perspective allows us to grasp to what extent the institutional forms, procedural rules and cultural models can actually influence the argumentative choices and reasoning patterns in the specific cases of the British and the Romanian Parliamentary discourse.

Keywords: definition, argumentative strategy, descriptive and emotional meanings, parliamentary discourse, cross-cultural research
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Theoretical framework
    • 1.2Aim, method, corpus
  • 2.Definition in the UK Parliamentary discourse
    • 2.1Conceptual dissociative definitions. Definition as an authoritative argument
    • 2.2Defining ethical words. Negative (implicit) definition
    • 2.3Defining in interaction (Adjacency pairs Questions-Answers)
      • 2.3.1Defining as a part of the act of refutation. Polemical quotations, reformulation
      • 2.3.2Defining identity. Ironical turns
      • 2.3.3Metaphorical definitions. Amplifying the agreement
      • 2.3.4Definition as a discursive premise. The framing argument
    • 2.4Legal definitions. Metadiscourse. Stipulative/statutory definitions
  • 3.Definition in the Romanian Parliamentary discourse
    • 3.1Polemical conceptual definition. Im/politeness strategy
    • 3.2Defining identity. Argument by polemical quotation of a (metaphorical) definition
    • 3.3Defining identity. Metaphorical definition. Definition as a dissociation strategy
    • 3.4Defining identity. Ironical response. Implicit definition
    • 3.5Speculative/persuasive definitions. Didactic/deductive use of definitions
  • 4.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
  • Sources
Published online: 12 October 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00013.hoi
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