Talking With The President: The Pragmatics Of Presidential Language University Press Scholarship Online

This Book Provides A Pragmatic Analysis Of Presidential Language. Pragmatics Is Concerned With Meaning In Context, Or The Relationship Between What We Say And What We Mean. John Wilson Explores The Various Ways In Which U.s. Presidents Have Used Language Within Specific Social Contexts To Achieve Specific Objectives. This Includes Obfuscation, Misdirection, The Use Of Metaphor Or Ambiguity, Or In Some Cases Simply Lying. He Focuses On Six Presidents: John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald W. Reagan, William F. Clinton, George W. Bush, And Barack H. Obama. These Presidents Cover Most Of The Last Half Of The Twentieth Century, And The First Decade Of The Twenty First Century, And Each Has Been Associated With A Specific Linguistic Quality. John F. Kennedy Was Famed For His Quality Of Oratory, Nixon For His Manipulative Use Of Language, Reagan For His Gift Of Telling Stories, Clinton For His Ability To Engage The Public And To Linguistically Turn Arguments And Descriptions In Particular Directions. Bush, On The Other Hand, Was Famed For His Inability To Use Language Appropriately, And Obama Returns Us To The Rhetorical Flourishes Of Early Kennedy. In The Case Of Each President, A Range Of Specific Examples Are Explored In Order To Highlight The Ways In Which A Pragmatic Analysis May Provide An Insight Into Presidential Language. In Many Cases, What The President Says Is Not Necessarily What The President Means. Hail To The Chief: Pragmatics And The President -- Chapter Two: Talking Pragmatics With The Best And The Brightest: John F Kennedy -- Chapter Three: Lies, Truth, And Somewhere In Between: Richard M. Nixon -- Chapter Four: The Narrative Presidency: Ronald Regan And Stories From The White House -- Chapter Five: It's Language Jim, But Not As We Know It: William J Clinton -- Chapter Six: Bring Em On! The Empire Strikes Back: George W Bush -- Chapter Seven: There And Back Again With Barack H Obama. John Wilson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In Talking with the President, John Wilson offers a pragmatic analysis of the language used by U.S. presidents over the last half century. Pragmatics looks at the way in which language is used in social context to achieve specific communicative and political objectives. Wilson considers how presidents make use of narratives and stories to relate to the public and communicate political agendas; how reference and other linguistic devices distribute and redistribute identities and responsibilities; and how metaphors, questions, and apologies are used to produce specific types of audience interpretation. Talking with the President focuses on six presidents, each chosen for the specific linguistic and communicative features associated with him. Wilson discusses John F. Kennedy, renowned for his grand rhetorical style; Richard Nixon, with his perceived untrustworthy and limited communication skills in modern mediums; Ronald Reagan, dubbed the Great Communicator, yet considered simplistic in both style and presentation; Bill Clinton, with his relaxed and conversational ability to communicate with the public; George W. Bush, lampooned for his continued linguistic and rhetorical errors; and Barack Obama, with his modern take on rhetorical styling within modern media and social contexts. Wilson poses such questions as: What pragmatic evidence can be brought to bear on the perceived core linguistic strengths and weaknesses of each president? How can this pragmatic perspective enhance our understanding of the role of political language within the presidency and the role of pragmatics in politics in general? Wilson shows that while all presidents may manipulate language for political ends, much of what they do is not dissimilar to ordinary language use; the significant difference lies in the consequences and extent of such manipulation. Book jacket This book provides a Pragmatic analysis of presidential language, focusing on the language of six Presidents: John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald W. Reagan, William F. Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack H. Obama. This book provides a pragmatic analysis of presidential language. Pragmatics is concerned with "meaning in context," or the relationship between what we say and what we mean. John Wilson explores the various ways in which U.S. Presidents have used language within specific social contexts to achieve specific objectives. This includes obfuscation, misdirection, the use of metaphor or ambiguity, or in some cases simply lying. He focuses on six presidents: John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald W. Reagan, William F. Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack H. Obama. These presidents cover most of the last half of the twentieth century, and the first decade of the twenty first century, and each has been associated with a specific linguistic quality. John F. Kennedy wasfamed for his quality of oratory, Nixon for his manipulative use of language, Reagan for his gift of telling stories, Clinton for his ability to engage the public and to linguistically turn arguments and descriptions in particular directions. Bush, on the other hand, was famed for his inability to use language appropriately, and Obama returns us to the rhetorical flourishes of early Kennedy. In the case of each president, a range of specific examples are explored in order to highlight the waysin which a pragmatic analysis may provide an insight into presidential language. In many cases, what the president says is not necessarily what the president means