ABSTRACT

Rhetorical analysis is concerned with ways of finding and interpreting persuasive strategies in language. The language of politics particularly is in the focus of rhetorical analysts as it ‘is both the result of rhetorical creativity and the object of rhetorical analysis’ (Lunsford, Wilson & Eberly 2009, p. 433). Rhetoric and rhetorical analysis have always been an important skill or even art (artis rhetoriquae). In ancient Greece, rhetoric was viewed as a crucial discipline, the ‘queen of all subjects’ (Kienpointner 1995a). In his famous treatise, 1 Aristotle identified rhetoric as an essential part of the ethical discipline politics (Sloane 2001, p. 612). The art of rhetoric was practised in political settings and assemblies, as well as in public discussions in order to persuade audiences of certain political acts. Thus, there has always been a close relationship between rhetoric and politics: ‘All the major classical rhetorical scholars […] focused on politics as the “principal locus” for rhetoric and their rhetorical theory and practice were aimed at citizens as political agents’ (Rutten, van Belle & Gillaerts 2014, p. 4). The contrast between the philosophical paradigm and linguistic practice has also been an area of conflict. Over time, rhetoric gained a negative connotation in the form of ‘mere rhetoric’ meaning ‘empty words’, or even manipulative speech and propaganda (Kienpointner 2005). In the twentieth century, however, the occupation with rhetoric became increasingly scientific and new research traditions with multiple approaches developed.