Insulting in Presidential Debate: A Pragmatic Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31185/eduj.Vol56.Iss2.4025Keywords:
Insulting, Presidential, Debate, PragmaticAbstract
An insult is characterized as a statement of authority and superiority, whether deliberate or not, that conveys disrespect and, if used intentionally, is aimed to cause harm through teasing and ridicule.
Although most people consider insults to be untidy, someone can ensure that the person who insulted may face legal consequences if somebody is aware of his rights. But frequently, the victim chooses not to disclose the insult because he fears additional negative effects from visibility of the case. Accordingly, this study which is quantitative raises the following questions: Which conversational maxim does the insulter breach to expresses insult? And which type of speech acts: direct or indirect is employed in insult? The study aims at: shedding light on the most common conversational maxim that is breached by the insulter to express insult and identifying the type of speech acts that is employed in insult directly or indirectly. The researcher hypothesizes the following: indirect speech acts are used more than direct ones to express insult and the most common conversational maxim that is breached to convey insult is the quantity maxim. The researcher adopts an eclectic model which consists of Grice's Conversational Implicature (1967) and Speech Acts Theory of Searle and Vanderveken (1985). By using this model, this study arrives at the following: breaching relation maxim is a basic requirement to reflect insult and indirect speech acts are more than direct ones to convey insult.
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