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DOI: 10.15862/20FLSK425 (https://doi.org/10.15862/20FLSK425)

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Pogorelova S.D., Yakovleva A.S. [Linguistic means of argumentation in political discourse: a study based on a public address by John F. Kennedy] World of Science. Series: Sociology, Philology, Cultural Studies, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 4. Available at: https://sfk-mn.ru/PDF/20FLSK425.pdf (in Russian). DOI: 10.15862/20FLSK425

Linguistic means of argumentation in political discourse: a study based on a public address by John F. Kennedy

Pogorelova Svetlana Davidovna
Industrial University of Tyumen, Tyumen, Russia
E-mail: Svetlanap97@mail.ru

Yakovleva Anna Sergeyvna
Industrial University of Tyumen, Tyumen, Russia
E-mail: Jakovlewa@mail.ru

Abstract. Linguistic means of argumentative expression in political speech: an analysis based on a public address by J.F. Kennedy This article is devoted to examining utterances with argumentative meaning and to analyzing the linguistic means by which they are expressed, using a public speech by J.F. Kennedy as an example. Utterances that serve an argumentative function in public political discourse play a key role in persuading the audience, shaping its opinions, and prompting action. Such statements are a crucial component of any persuasive communication, aimed at substantiating, proving, or refuting a particular viewpoint or thesis using logical arguments, facts, and evidence. These statements form the foundation of rational dialogue and critical thinking. The effective use of argumentation can make discourse more persuasive, logical, and memorable, which is crucial in the modern world. The effective use of argumentation can make a speech more persuasive, coherent, and memorable. Skillful argumentation requires the speaker’s ability to employ a variety of rhetorical devices. The article analyzes lexical units and expressive-syntactic constructions used by the speaker in political speech to express argumentation. The material for the study was John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address of January 20, 1961. The authors investigated various lexical items (verbs, adjectives, nouns) and devices of expressive syntax (repetitions — anaphora, epiphora, lexical repetition; metaphors and similes; antithesis) that function to influence the audience’s perception. We conclude that the use of linguistic means of argumentation is a powerful but thoughtfully demanding instrument: it can significantly enhance the impact of an utterance on listeners’ minds and emotions, enliven the speaker’s delivery, and prompt the audience not merely to passively receive information but to actively engage in the process of comprehension, inference, and comparison.

Keywords: argumentation; linguistic means; evaluativeness; antithesis; lexical repetition; personification; parallelism

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