The Language of Persuasion in Politics and the Media

This bestselling introductory textbook examines the relationship between politicians, the press and the public through the language they employ. Now fully revised with new material on delegitimisation, ‘fake news’, disinformation, (self-)censorship, ‘conspiracy theories’ and ‘Zombie’ narratives, key topics include:

• Evaluation, the ‘engine’ of persuasion
• ‘Spin’, ‘spin control’ and ‘image’ politics
• Models of persuasion, including authority, contrast, problem-solution, association, 'garden path'
• Pseudo-logical and ‘post-truth’ arguments
• Humour, irony and satire
• Metaphors: use, misuse and dangers
• Election rhetoric

Extracts from speeches, soundbites, newspapers and blogs, social media, interviews, press conferences, election slogans and satires are used to provide the reader with the tools to discover the beliefs, character and hidden strategies of the would-be persuader, as well as the counter-strategies of their targets. This book demonstrates how the study of language use can help us appreciate, exploit and protect ourselves from the art of persuasion.

With a wide variety of practical examples, on both recent issues and historically significant ones, every topic is complemented with guiding tasks, queries and exercises, with keys and commentaries at the end of each unit. This highly original textbook is ideal for all introductory courses on language and politics, media language, rhetoric and persuasion, discourse studies and related areas.