SPEECH ACT FORCE IN GOODLUCK JONATHAN’S 2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Abstract

Language is an intriguing and interesting enterprise from every point of view as it relates to human activities. It is one of the unique attributes that differentiates human beings from other creatures. Language is the most prominent tool of communication and is one of the valid means through which humans express their thought, feelings, ideas and emotions to one another and also get a feedback from them whether positive or negative. Politicians all over the world are aware that language most importantly the language of propaganda is a powerful tool before, during and after Election. They therefore take advantage of it during elections to achieve their desired aims. The choice of words by political aspirants is geared towards winning the heart of the electorates to their favour. This article analyzed two of Goodluck Jonathan’s speech in the 2015 Presidential Election Campaign and the role language played in influencing the electorates’ decision during the election campaigns using JL Austin Speech Act Theory such as Locution, Illocution and Perlocution Speech Act. The theory analyzed the role that utterances play in relation to the behavior or attitude of both the speaker and hearers in a given speech context and the effect the speech produces on the hearers thereafter. From the analyzed speech, it was reviewed that peoples believes and ideologies can be influenced based on what they hear over time.