Emotive Iplicatures In The Rhetoric Of Muslim Women

Abstract

The aim of the research is to study and determine emotive implicatures in the speeches of Muslim women on Ted/TedX platform. Overall five speeches of total duration of 75.68 minutes were analysed utilising framing theory (Minsky 1974) and the theory of implicature (Grice 1967). Methodologically the article also uses approaches, such as anthropological tradition that focuses on cultural practice and critical discourse analyses that views language as the social practice (Fairclough 2001). In the process of research specific phrases, words and episodes that evoked certain emotions were marked in the speeches and were analysed according to framing theory focusing on the essence of the utterance and its emotive implicature. Also each speech was studied through the perspective of cultural and social practice that made possible to distinguish not only emotive implicatures but the elements that cause the emotional reaction and therefore implications. Speeches used in the article are available online on Ted.com platform and YouTube with full transcriptions. Reason for choosing these specific speeches was influenced by the problem of stereotyping Muslims with violence and terrorism in the western society. Therefore, the subject-matter is very sensitive for both cultures. Consequently, it was interesting to investigate how women address these issues in their speeches and how they create desired emotive implicatures. The article concentrates especially on women because they are often targeted as the victims of stereotyping because of their headdress. The research showed that speakers used cultural frames to elucidate main values of society. By emphasising how these moral values were mistreated by stereotypical judgements the speakers managed to create emotive implicatures of sadness, anger, protest and empathy.