Presuppositions as an Instrument in Power Dimension at United States Presidential Debate 2016: Pragmatic Study

Abstract

Speech act and presupposition are part of pragmatics. In addition there are some experts agree that speech act has correlation with power, such as directive illocutionary acts. To identify the power dimension itself, the writer used the pragmatic approach that is speech act and presupposition. This research aims to assure that there is power dimension inside of the United State’s president candidates in their debating activity. Further, analyze the types of presupposition and illocutionary acts that appear with it’s relation to power dimensions on the object, this research entitled Presuppositions as an Instrument in Power Dimensions at United State’s Presidential Debate 2016: Pragmatic Study. The data for this research were taken from United State’s Presidential debate on September 2016 that already converted into transcript one. It was qualitatively conducted to reach the objectives described above. The data were processed by a descriptive-analytical method where available facts and information were carefully analyzed to make critical evaluation. The result shows that there are 5 types of presupposition that appear in this data, they are 4 factive presuppositions, 10 existential presuppositions, and each one for lexical, structural and counterfactual presupposition. The writer cannot find the declarative illocutionary acts in this data, but they are; 8 data of representative, in expressive there are 4 data, directive consists of 2 data and 1 data of commissive illocutionary act. Moreover, the writer could figure out the power dimensions in this data, there are 12 data, where each of the data has the power dimensions inside it. In addition, for the power dimensions the writer could find 6 data that categorized in economy or class dimension, 8 data which include as party (power dimension) and 1 data as part of status (prestige). In conclusion, the writer could figure out the power dimensions inside out this first United State’s presidential debate.

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Keywords

Presuppositions, Speech Acts, Power Dimension

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