Browsing by Author "Nyanda, Davis"

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    Argument quality in Tanzanian parliamentary discourse in Kiswahili in budget speeches and debates
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12) Nyanda, Davis; Dlali, Mawande; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages.
    ENLGISH SUMMARY: The present study examines the nature of argument quality properties in Tanzanian parliamentary discourse in Kiswahili. The study applies the pragma-dialectical theory to analyse two Annual Budget Speeches (ABS) and debates about the speeches. The study focuses on the manifestation of three arguments in the ABS and the related debates: argument from cause and effect, argument from authority, and argument from example. The corpus of two ABS and the related debates in the Tanzanian parliament included in the analysis is based on the 2011/2012 Tanzanian annual budget parliamentary sitting. The data analysed was obtained from the Tanzanian National Assembly Hansard records (both printed and electronic versions). In the pragma-dialectical theory, there are stipulated criteria for evaluating whether arguments are properly applied in argumentative discourse such as parliamentary speeches and debates. The study specifically examines the extent to which ministers and MPs utilise the three arguments in the ABS and the related debates, and the extent to which these arguments conform to, or deviate from, the criteria established in the pragma-dialectical theory. The research further investigates the strategic manoeuvring the ministers and MPs make in the ABS and the related debates in their efforts to influence their target audience. The study covers several facets of the pragma-dialectical theory in the analysis of the ABS and the related debates. However, a flexible application of the criteria postulated in the pragma-dialectical theory for evaluating the three arguments is demonstrated, rejecting strict application of the criteria as proposed in the theory. The study reveals that the three arguments vary in the extent to which the ministers and MPs apply them. Argument from authority appears in a few instances in one of the speeches and the debates. In the case of argument from example, it is applied to a certain extent in one of the speeches and the debates. The analysis further indicates that argument from cause and effect is frequently utilised in the ABS and the related debates. In addition, the analysis shows that the ministers and MPs (re)package their arguments in such a way that would convince their target audience to accept them. The ministers and MPs achieve this by manoeuvring strategically in terms of topical potential, adaptation to audience demand and presentational devices. The current study suggests various dimensions of the pragma-dialectical theory could be enriched. These include making the theory less prescriptive in the evaluation of arguments, expansion of the evaluation criteria related to argument from authority, and expansion of the theory to recognise variation in the extent to which arguments are utilised in argumentative discourse such as parliamentary discourse.