A Pragmatic Analysis of Selected Television Interviews

Student: Feyintola Oreoluwa Joseph (Project, 2025)
Department of English Language and Literary Studies
University of Ilorin, Kwara State

Abstract

ABSTRACT
In a rapidly evolving world where communication shapes society, the study of language has progressed through various approaches to enhance understanding. Pragmatics focuses on language use in context, negotiating meaning through intention, shared knowledge, and situational factors. Television interviews, particularly political ones, provide rich grounds for analysis due to layered discourse and strategic language use. This study examines the use of pragmatics in Okinbaloye's televised political interviews, emphasising how language conveys meaning, shapes public opinion, and addresses complex topics. The research employs Clark (2013) Relevance Theory to analyse interview extracts, focusing on explicature, implicature, contextual assumptions, cognitive effects, and processing effort. Findings show that linguistic choices significantly influence political message framing, authority construction, and issue communication to a wider audience. The study highlights that politicians often utilise language to navigate accountability, project a positive image, and evade confrontation. The study concludes that televised interviews are complex discursive environments where language is strategically employed. Observed pragmatic elements reveal the power of contextual meaning in shaping political communication and public engagement.

Keywords
pragmatic analysis selected television interviews
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