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Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach
Mutsvairo, Jack . 2025. Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch Univeristy [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131854
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Mutsvairo, Jack |
| author2 | Dlali, Mawande |
| author_browse | Dlali, Mawande Mutsvairo, Jack |
| author_facet | Dlali, Mawande Mutsvairo, Jack |
| author_sort | Mutsvairo, Jack |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Mutsvairo, Jack . 2025. Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch Univeristy [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131854 |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131854 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:55.727Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131854 Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach Mutsvairo, Jack Dlali, Mawande Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages. Zimbabwe -- Politics and government. Interviewing on radio Debates and debating -- Political aspects -- Zimbabwe Pragmatics Rhetoric on radio Cabinet system -- Zimbabwe UCTD Mutsvairo, Jack . 2025. Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch Univeristy [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131854 Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Political argumentation by Zimbabwean government ministers and Members of Parliament, and political party representatives during Question Time sessions and radio political interviews, respectively, is not yet fully explored. This study analyses and evaluates the strategic manoeuvring of by ministers and Members of Parliament during Question Time question-and-answer deliberations, and party representatives on Studio 7 radio political interviews. The study aims to contribute new insights to the nascent literature on pragma-dialectical and appraisal research on Zimbabwean political discourse. Using data from the Hansard and Studio 7 radio political interviews, I analyse the political argumentation of Zimbabwean politicians within the two subgenres of parliamentary and media discourses. I use the pragma-dialectical argumentation theory as the main theoretical framework when analysing Hansard extracts and radio interview transcripts, and the appraisal theory as a complementary theoretical framework to evaluate language use in radio interviews. After carrying out reconstructive transformations of raw Hansard data which result in analytic overviews, I then apply and evaluate the typologies of differences of opinions, standpoints, argument schemes, argumentation structures, prototypical argumentative patterns, and argumentative styles. I also explore the use of ad hominems by the arguers. In the case of radio transcripts, I establish analytic overviews and then appraise language use by party representatives for attitudinal positioning, stance-taking and intertextual positioning using the appraisal analytical tools of the attitude and engagement semantics. My findings indicate that ministers use either complex pragmatic argumentation or complex problem-solving argumentation in defence of their prescriptive standpoints as they are expected to explain and justify government policies. MPs use mostly simple argumentation (enthymemic arguments) and at times complex pragmatic argumentation due to the limitations imposed by institutional preconditions. Argumentation by example and symptomatic argumentation are the favoured argument scheme and argumentation structure respectively for many politicians. Prototypical argumentative patterns revealed that ministers use direct dialectical routes since they have the burden of proof. They use largely detached argumentative styles except when they deliberate on divisive issues. Generally, politicians try to manoeuvre strategically but there are times when they aim for effectiveness at the expense of being reasonable, and when they are opposition MPs, they are called out by ZANU PF MPs and the Speaker hence their strategic manoeuvring derails. Politicians use ad hominems and erotema as emotional appeals and framing devices for their putative and/or primary audiences when deliberating hotly-contested issues, such as sanctions, human rights violations and currency policies. Shona proverbs and idiomatic expressions, emotive language and intertextuality/heteroglossic formulations are some of the presentational devices exploited by politicians during deliberations. SHONA PFUPISO: Kukakavadzana kwezvematongerwo enyika kwemakurukota ehurumende yeZimbabwe nenhengo dzeParamende, nevamiriri vemapato ezvematongerwo enyika munguva yeMibvunzo nemubvunzurudzo dzezvematongerwo enyika paredhiyo, zvichitevedzana, hazvisati zvanyatsoongororwa. Ongororo ino inoongorora nekuyera kukavara kune ungwaru kri kuitwa makurukota nenhengo dzedare reParamende munguva yemibvunzo nemhinduro, uye vamiriri vemapato panhepfenyuro yeStudio7 panhaurirrano dzezvematongerwo enyika. Chidzidzo ichi chine donzvo rekupa muono mutsva muzvinyorwa zvavachangoburwa vanoshandisa mifungo yepragma-dialectical uye appraisal research pakuongorora nhaurwa dzezvematongerwo enyika muZimbabwe. Ndichishandisa mashoko kubva munhaurirano dzezvematongerwo enyika muHansard neStudio7, ndinoongorora gakava rezvematongerwo enyika revezvematongerwo enyika vemuZimbabwe muhurukuro dzeparamende nenhepfenyuro. Ini ndinoshandisa mufungo wepragma-dialectical pandinenge ndichiongorora zvinyorwa zveHansard uye zvinyorwa zvekubvunzurudza redhiyo, uye mufungo weAppraisal pakuongorora mashandisirwo emutauro muhurukuro dzeredhiyo. Mushure mekuita shanduko inovaka yezvinyorwa zveHansard, ini ndinobva ndashandisa uye ndinoongorora mhando dzemisiyano yemaonero, maonero, zvirongwa zvekupokana, zvimiro zvekupokana, mapatani (prototypical) egakava, uye maitiro ekupokana. Ini zvakare ndinoongorora kushandiswa kwezvituko pakupokana. Panyaya yezvinyorwa zveredhiyo, ini ndinomisikidza ongororo yekuongorora uyezve ndinoyemura kushandiswa kwemutauro nevamiriri vebato pakumisikidza, kudoma maonero avo uye kusanganisa pfungwa dzavo nedzezvimwe zvinyorwa. Zvandinowana zvinoratidza kuti makurukota anoshandisa nharo dzakaoma kunzwisisa kana nharo dzakaoma kunzwisisa dzekugadzirisa matambudziko mukudzivirira maonero avo sezvo vanotarisirwa kutsanangura nekutsigira mitemo kana zvirongwa zvehurumende. Vamiriri veParamende vanoshandisa kazhinji kukakavara kwakapfava (enthymemic arguments) uye dzimwe nguva kukakavara kwakaoma kwepragmatic nekuda kwezvipimo zvinoiswa nemamiriro enzvimbo yeparamende. Kupokana vachishandisa muenzaniso uye kupokana vachishandisa zviratidzo ndizvo zvinofarirwa pazvirongwa zvegakava uye pazvimiro zvegakava zvakateerana kune vezvematongerwo enyika. Maitirwo (Prototypical) egakava akaburitsa kuti vashumiri vanoshandisa nzira dzakanangana nematauriro sezvo vaine mutoro wekupa humbowo. Vanoshandisa zvitayera zvekukakavadzana zvinoratidza kusabatikana zvakanyanya kunze kwekunge vachitaura nezvenyaya dzinoparadzanisa. Kazhinji, vezvematongerwo enyika vanoedza kuita zvinhu zvine hungwaru asi pane dzimwe nguva vanovavarira kubudirira, uye kana vari vamiriri veparamende vanopikisa, vanotsiurwa nevamiriri veZANU PF pamwe nemutauriri weparamende zvichibva zvaita kuti kupokana kwavo zvine ungwaru kusabudirira. Vezvematongerwo enyika vanoshandisa zvituko uye mibvunzonhando senzira dzekukwezva kwemanzwiro uye yekugadzira maonero evateereri vavo chaivoivo pavanenge vachizeya nyaya dzinokwikwidzwa zvakanyanya, dzakadai sezvirango, kutyorwa kwekodzero dzevanhu uye marongerwo emari. Tsumo dzeChiShona nemadimikira, mutauro unonyandura moyo uye kutaura zviri mune zvimwe zvinyorwa (intertextuality/heteroglossia) ndezvimwe zvezvidavado zvinoshandiswa nevezvematongerwo enyika panguva yenhaurirano. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Doctoral 2025-04-03T09:27:31Z 2025-04-03T09:27:31Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131854 Stellenbosch University xv, 348 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Zimbabwe -- Politics and government. Interviewing on radio Debates and debating -- Political aspects -- Zimbabwe Pragmatics Rhetoric on radio Cabinet system -- Zimbabwe UCTD Mutsvairo, Jack Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach |
| title | Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach |
| title_full | Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach |
| title_fullStr | Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach |
| title_short | Strategic manoeuvring in Zimbabwean political deliberations: a pragma-dialectical and appraisal theory approach |
| title_sort | strategic manoeuvring in zimbabwean political deliberations a pragma dialectical and appraisal theory approach |
| topic | Zimbabwe -- Politics and government. Interviewing on radio Debates and debating -- Political aspects -- Zimbabwe Pragmatics Rhetoric on radio Cabinet system -- Zimbabwe UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131854 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mutsvairojack strategicmanoeuvringinzimbabweanpoliticaldeliberationsapragmadialecticalandappraisaltheoryapproach |