Abstract:
The present research study has been conducted on six political speeches of three
political leaders of the same family namely Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and
scion of their legacy Bilawal Bhutto to examine how political leaders of same party
have propagated their ideologies using linguistic strategies. It is imperative to
investigate language as an instrument used by these politicians to persuade their public
with assertion of power or power abuse. This study will also endeavour to explore
rhetorical and ideological changes over the period of three generations. To investigate
the discourse critically and to appraise the ideological foundation of political speeches
socio-cognitive approach to CDA has been adopted to analyze and interpret the
underlying ideological structure of discourse with reference to Van Dijk sociocognitive
discourse theory (1993) and macro level structural arrangement,
communicative situations and linguistic ideological structures like meaning,
polarization, verbose style, emotive nuance, presuppositions and implication
identification, and parallelism. The study revealed the ways in which political leaders
exploit the power given by people and control the minds of people by manipulating
discourse. The research finding guide that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto delivered his speech as
microcosm of the nation. No other leader of Pakistan had used such emotive and
diplomatic discourse to persuade his nation. It was Bhutto’s rhetorical style which had
made him alive in hearts of his followers. Benazir Bhutto the daughter of zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto idealized her father and Bilawal Bhutto do not construct his identity completely
subservient to Bhutto dynasty. Benazir criticizes Zia for her father’s hanging and
Bilawal criticized Pervaiz Musharraf for her mother’s assassination. Finding revealed
through discourse analysis that power validates and affirms itself in possible
dimensions which continue fluctuating though in specific variety of orbits such as
control, ideology, language, and society. Persuasion is just to gain power, to surpass,
dominate, to prevail, and to stand out of all. They have confidently conveyed with
them the insignia of their part at public stage. From structural, thematic, and discursive
points political leaders have been found using persuasive devices.
