Discourse Techniques in Chief Willie M. Obiano’s Inaugural Address, “Expanding the Frontiers of Excellence…” BY Ofoegbu Cyril Okechukwu
[email protected] Department of English, Anambra State University, Igbariam Campus, Anambra State. AND Umeh, Rose Amaechi Department of English, Anambra State University, Igbariam Campus, Anambra State. 73 Abstract Language has been identified as man’s most important and effective means of communication. Language is also a portrait of human thought and it reflects the quality of thought generated in society. This discourse involves the context of usage. Woods Nicola (2006) defined discourse as language plus context. She says discourse determines our language in the context of usage. This paper focuses on the discourse techniques used by Chief Willie M. Obiano, the executive governor of Anambra state, in his inaugural speech, delivered on the 17th of March 2014. These techniques blended in his political discourse are coinages, diction and placement of words, word-trading, speech vocatives, figurative use of language and idiomatic expressions, rhetorical questions, Igbo praise names, collective pronoun- we, the repetitive use of the negative prefix –re and party slogans as a persuasive means of communication in the speech. These expressions played the role of driving home the message in the speech. Finally this paper explores the effectiveness of the discourse techniques employed by the governor in his speech thus places this speech as a political speech in a political discourse. Keywords: Discourse analysis, discourse techniques, inaugural address and language. 74 Introduction Many scholars have defined language as an important tool of human communication and they have also identified language as an effective means of human interaction.