John Benjamins Publishing Company
Follow-ups in broadcast political discourse
Abstract
The concept of the follow-up as the third element of a sequential triad was originally formulated in the context of classroom discourse by Sinclair and Coulthard (1975). In this chapter, it is applied to the analysis of three distinct genres of political discourse: speeches, interviews, and parliamentary questions. Illustrative examples are drawn from television broadcasts with British politicians. It is proposed that the concepts of the follow-up and the sequential triad can be usefully applied to all three genres of political discourse. Their application also highlights significant gaps in the current research literature, most notably, how both interviewers and politicians follow up equivocal and unequivocal responses by politicians to questions. In addition, it is argued that the concept of the follow-up can be usefully extended beyond the sequential triad to analyze not only sequential interactions over time, but also various forms of political action within and outside parliament.
Abstract
The concept of the follow-up as the third element of a sequential triad was originally formulated in the context of classroom discourse by Sinclair and Coulthard (1975). In this chapter, it is applied to the analysis of three distinct genres of political discourse: speeches, interviews, and parliamentary questions. Illustrative examples are drawn from television broadcasts with British politicians. It is proposed that the concepts of the follow-up and the sequential triad can be usefully applied to all three genres of political discourse. Their application also highlights significant gaps in the current research literature, most notably, how both interviewers and politicians follow up equivocal and unequivocal responses by politicians to questions. In addition, it is argued that the concept of the follow-up can be usefully extended beyond the sequential triad to analyze not only sequential interactions over time, but also various forms of political action within and outside parliament.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Following up across contexts and discourse domains: Introduction ix
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Follow-ups in the new media
- Follow-ups in broadcast political discourse 3
- Intertextual references in Austrian parliamentary debates 25
- “I have nothing to do but agree” 57
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Follow-ups across speech events
- Bravo for this editorial! 83
- Metacommunicative follow-ups in British, German and Russian political webchats 109
-
Follow-ups across speech events
- Framing the Queen’s head scarf 139
- Follow-ups in political talk shows and their visual framing 169
- Follow-ups in interpreter-mediated interviews and press conferences 205
- Follow-ups in pre-structured communication 231
- Index 263
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Following up across contexts and discourse domains: Introduction ix
-
Follow-ups in the new media
- Follow-ups in broadcast political discourse 3
- Intertextual references in Austrian parliamentary debates 25
- “I have nothing to do but agree” 57
-
Follow-ups across speech events
- Bravo for this editorial! 83
- Metacommunicative follow-ups in British, German and Russian political webchats 109
-
Follow-ups across speech events
- Framing the Queen’s head scarf 139
- Follow-ups in political talk shows and their visual framing 169
- Follow-ups in interpreter-mediated interviews and press conferences 205
- Follow-ups in pre-structured communication 231
- Index 263
