Examining the Role of Political Language and Rhetoric in the Context of the Debate on Political Efficacy

Abstract

Assessing political efficacy is considered one of the most challenging topics in the social and political sciences. While traditional measures of political efficacy include a common number of indicators ranging from analyzing the economic state of countries and their military capabilities to examining soft power indicators, this article proposes to consider rhetoric as an alternative measure of political efficacy. Drawing on evidence from linguistic and cognitive sciences, the author argues that rhetoric also plays a significant role in achieving political goals. To prove this hypothesis, the article analyzes T. Docherty's recent work "Political English: Language and the Decay of Politics" for fresh ideas about the influence of rhetoric on political efficacy. In addition, the author mentions the principles of rhetoric, which have already become fundamental, as well as the tools of language influence on political efficacy. By emphasizing the importance of rhetoric as an indicator of political efficacy, this article contributes to a deeper understanding of the cognitive and communicative aspects of political influence.

Keywords

• political rhetoric
• political language
• cognitive science
• political efficacy
• communication