The Impact of Ideology on Repetition in the Political Discourse of Arab Leaders

Abstract

This paper examines the ideological function of lexical repetition in two Arabic leaders’ speeches. The frequency of repetition in Arabic is explored in terms of its various formalistic approaches. However, little or less or no attention has been paid to the relationship between repetition and ideology. This paper argues that repetition is deliberately used to reinforce the leaders’ different political strategies, which have been devised to address various Arabic peoples, groups and factions. Repetition in Arabic is always related to stylistic and rhetorical function; however, this semantic function between and repetition ideology has been insufficiently considered. This study is new in its nature and topic in that it touches the ideological orientations which were not, in some way or another, related to the linguistic/semantic aspects of language. This study employs a qualitative approach in the analysis of the speeches to uncover the rhetorical strategies deployed and the ideologies underlined. CDA methods are employed to reveal underlying ideologies and persuasive strategies used in the speeches. The paper also argues that the speaker had used different discourse registers to address various audiences. The prevalence of lexical repetition has been deliberately employed in the leader’s speeches to promote their ideological and political stance. This paper reveals how these politicians purposefully and deliberately use repetition to persuade their audiences of their political agendas, to transmit their ideologies and stay in power.