Multimodal rhetoric: Fictive interaction strategies in political discourse

Todd Oakley

doi:10.1515/lingvan-2016-0046

Article

Multimodal rhetoric: Fictive interaction strategies in political discourse

Todd Oakley

Published/Copyright: June 29, 2017

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From the journal Linguistics Vanguard Volume 3 Issue s1

Abstract

This article explores the role fictive interaction plays in two recent political speeches during the 2012 election year in the United States. The first is actor Clint Eastwood’s keynote address to the Republican National Convention in which he engages in a fictional conversation with President Barack Obama; and the second is by Mark Sanford, former Republican governor of South Carolina and candidate for US Congress who stages a fictive debate with Democratic representative and minority party leader, Nancy Pelosi. Eastwood’s performance was roundly criticized in the media by partisans, pundits, reporters, and analysts across the political spectrum, many of whom openly speculated that the 82-year-old was exhibiting signs of senescence. Sanford’s performance did not receive the publicity of the former but was viewed by voters of South Carolina, and represents a much tighter and effective form of fictive interaction, eventually leading to his election to congress. The factors contributing to the failure of Eastwood’s performance and and those contributing to success of Sanford’s will be the focus of this analysis. Special attention will be paid to the multimodal dimensions of each performance.

Keywords: cognitive linguistics; construction grammar; fictive interaction; rhetorical situations

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Appendix

Table 1

Eastwood speech, gesture, gaze.

Onset Time	Speech	Gesture	Gaze
1:39	Uh. So I’ve got uh.	Left-lax flat lateral, away body	Head left; downward gaze
	Mr. Obama sitting here.
3:22	So, Mr. President, how do you handle,	Left-lax flat lateral; circular strokes	Torso to left; downward gaze
	how do you handle promises you made	correlated with “promises”, “made”, &
	when you were running for election and	“running”
	how do you hand it? What do you say to	Left-lax flat lateral interpersonal deictic
	people?
3:37	Do you just, uh	Left-lax flat lateral, beat.	Head turn left; downward gaze
	I know, uh, people.
	People um
	People are wondering.
3:48	Ya don’t	Hands on podium	Head left; gaze downward
	Ya don“t ok
3.48.5	Well I know even some of the people in	Right-spread lateral away body	Head center; forward gaze
	your own party were very disappointed
	when you didn’t close Gitmo.
4:06	What do you mean “shut up”!?	Hands on podium	Head left; downward gaze.
4:10	I thought it was because someone had	Right hand-lax flat lateral; 3 circular	Head left; downward gaze,
	this stupid idea of trying terrorists in	strokes correlated with “somebody,”	shifts to center
	downtown New York City	“stupid idea,” & “trying”
4:17	Maybe that was it	Hands on podium	Head left, gaze downward
4:27	I’ve gotta hand it to you	Hands on podium	Head center; forward gaze
4:30	I’ve gotta give credit where credit is due	Left-spread flat lateral	Head left
4:32	you did overrule that, finally	Left-lateral away body	forward gaze
4:36	And I know in th’	Hands on podium	Head left; forward gaze
	I know you were against the war in Iraq
	that’s ok
4:42	But you thought the war in Afghanistan	Left-lax flat lateral; sweep away body	Head left; downward gaze
	was ok
4:48	I mean you thought that was something	Hands on podium	Head left; downward gaze
	that was worth doing
4:50	We didn’t check with the Russians to see	Hands on podium; thumb, index, middle	Head center-left; forward gaze
	how they did their for he ten years	fingers stretched correlated with “check”
4:54	But it uh	Hands on podium	Head center-left; forward gaze
	We did it
	And uh
	It’s was
	Ya know
	It’s uh
	Something to. uh. to be thought about
5:05	And I think that. uh	Hands on podium	Head center; forward gaze
	When we get to. uh
	Maybe
	I think
5:14	You mentioned something about having a	Left-spread lateral; away body; repeat	Head left; downward gaze
	target date for bringing everybody home	gesture correlated with “target date”
5:19	And you give target da da date	Left-lax flat lateral, one circular flick away	Head left; downward gaze
		body
5:25	And uh	Left-index finger scratches left cheek	Head center; forward gaze
5:26	And I think Mr. Romney has the only	Left-index finger scratches left cheek	Head center; forward gaze
	sensible question on it	Hands on podium	Head left; downward gaze
	He says, “why are you giving the date out		correlated with “tomorrow
	now? why don’t you just bring them home		morning”
	tomorrow morning?”
5:33	And I thought,	Hands on podium	Head center; gaze downward
	I though, yeah’
	There’s a
5:39	I’m not gonna shut up it’s my turn	Left-flat lateral; toward body (touching),	Torso left; downward gaze
		correlated with “turn”
5:42	Ao anyway	Hands on podium	Head left; severe downward
	We’re gonna have uh		gaze
	We’re gonna have to have a little chat		Head center; gaze forward
	about that		correlated with “about that”
5:48	And then I just wondered these all these	Hands on podium	Head left; downward gaze
	promises I wondered about uh, uh, when	Right-flat lateral, one slow circular
		revolution followed by three rapid circular
		revolutions
6:02	What?	Hands on podium	Continued downward gaze
	What do you want me to tell Romney?
6:05	I can’t tell him to do that	Hands on podium	Head center; forward gaze
6:07	He can’t do that to himself	Hands on podium	Head left; downward gaze
6:11	You’re absolutely crazy!	Hands on podium	Head center; forward gaze
6:18	You‘re gettin’ as bad as Biden!	Left-flat lateral; away body flick,	Head center; forward gaze
		correlated with “Biden”
6:31	Of course we all know Biden is the	Hand on podium; left beat correlated with	Head center; forward gaze
	intellect of the, uh, Democratic Party	“Biden”
6:39	Kind of a gri’n with a body behind it	Right-cupped; left to right wiping,	Head center; forward gaze
	followed by pulsing motion left to right
6:45	But um	Hands on podium	Head center; forward gaze
	I, I just, uh
	I just think that, uh, there’s so much to be
	done
	and, us,
	I think that Mr. Romney and. Mr. Ryan are
	two guys that can come along
7:01	See, never thought that it was a good idea	Left-flat lateral, away body, correlated	Torso left; downward gaze
	for attorneys to be president anyway,	with “good”;
	because it,	Left-flat, palm up stationary (2 sec.)
7:06	Yeah	Right-pinched, small circles	Head center; forward gaze
	I think,
	I think that attorneys are so busy.
7:16	You know their always taught to argue	Left-flat lateral; slow circular revolutions	Head center; forward gaze
	everything and weight everything and
	weight both sides.
7:17	And, yah know, they‘re always, uh, they’re	Right-pinched toward body, correlated	Head center; forward gaze
	always, uh, devil’s advocating this and	with “devil’s advocating this”; Right-palm
	bifurcating this and bifurcating that and	down, swing gestures toward and away
	all that stuff.	from body;
		Left-palm down, upward stroke correlated
		with “stuff”
7:32	I think, uh, maybe its time, what do ya	Hands on podium	Head left; severe downward
	think?, for may be a, uh. business man		gaze correlated with “ya
			think”;
			Torso left correlated with
			“business man”
7:44	A stellar business man	Hands on podium	Head center; forward gaze
7:48	Quote-un-quote a stellar business man	Hands on podium	Head left; downward gaze
			Head center; forward gaze
7:52	And I think if you just kinda stepped aside	Hands on podium	Head left; forward gaze
7:56	And Mr. Romney, uh, can kinda take over	Right-lateral, sweeping away body,	Head center left; forward gaze
		correlated with “kinda”
7:58	You can still use the plane	Left-palm up, away body	Torso left; downward gaze
8:01	Though maybe a smaller one	Left-palm up, circular	Head center; gaze forward
8:02	Not that big gas guzzler that you are	Left-palm up, sweeping away body	Head center; forward gaze
	driving around when you go to colleges	Right-lateral, two circular revolutions
	and talking about student loans and stuff	correlated with “driving around”
	like that
8:14	You’re an ecological man	Left-lateral, away body	Head left; downward gaze
	why would you want to drive that truck	hands on podium
	around?”
8:17	Ok	Hands on podium	Head center; forward gaze
	Anyway
8:20	I’m sorry	Hands on podium	Torso left; downward gaze
8:22	I can’t do that to myself, either!	Hands on podium	Head center; forward gaze
8:26	Anyway	Hands on podium	Head center; downward gaze

Table 2

Eastwood: Camera angles.

Onset Time	Camera Angle & Description	Duration
1:39	Close-up	11 sec.
1:50	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	4 sec.
1:54	Close-up	29 sec.
2:23	Reaction shots (convention floor & balcony)	2 sec.
2:25	Close-up	3 sec.
2:28	Deep focus; stage left	2 sec.
2:30	Close-up	8 sec.
2:38	Deep focus: stage right	2 sec.
2:40	Reaction shot (convention floor)	6 sec.
2:46	Close-up	26 sec.
3:12	Reaction shot (convention floor)	7 sec.
3:19	Close-up; Lock-down (10 sec.)	12 sec.
3:31	Two-Shot (Eastwood + chair)	21 sec.
3:52	Reaction shots (convention floor & balcony)	2 sec.
3:54	Close-up	12 sec.
4:06	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	5 sec.
4:11	Close-up	8 sec.
4:19	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	3 sec
4:21	Reaction shot (convention floor & balcony)	2 sec.
4:23	Deep focus; center stage	4 sec.
4:27	Close-up	11 sec.
4:38	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	17 sec.
4:55	Reaction shot (convention floor)	4 sec.
4:59	Close-up	3 sec.
5:02	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	6 sec.
5:08	Close-up; Lock-down (6 sec.)	7 sec.
5:15	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	7 sec.
5:22	Close-up	7 sec.
5:29	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	2 sec.
5:31	Reaction shot (convention floor)	5 sec.
5:36	Close-up	6 sec.
5:42	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	1 sec.
5:43	Close-up	11 sec.
5:54	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	12 sec.
6:06	Close-up	4 sec.
6:10	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	6 sec.
6:16	Reaction shot (Convention balcony)	3 sec.
6:19	Deep focus; center stage	2 sec.
6:21	Close-up	2 sec.
6:23	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	2 sec.
6:25	Reaction shots (convention floor & balcony)	6 sec.
6:31	Close-up	30 sec.
7:01	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	5 sec.
7:06	Close-up	3 sec.
7:09	Reaction shots (convention floor & balcony)	3 sec.
7:12	Deep shot; stage left	3 sec.
7:15	Close-up	19 sec.
7:34	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	6 sec.
7:40	Reaction shot (convention floor)	6 sec.
7:46	Deep focus; stage right	2 sec.
7:48	Close-up	3 sec.
7:51	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	4 sec.
7:55	Close-up	4 sec.
7:59	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	5 sec.
8:04	Close-up	11 sec.
8:15	Two-shot (Eastwood + chair)	3 sec.
8:18	Reaction shot (convention floor)	1 sec.
8:19	Close-up; Lock-down (7 sec.)	8 sec.
8:27	Reaction shots (convention floor & balcony)	4 sec.

Table 3

Sanford: Speech, gesture, gaze.

Onset Time	Speech	Gesture	Gaze
0.00	Since Elizabeth won’t debate and I’m left	Two hands, lateral left; right palm	Head left; downward gaze
	to debate Nancy	straight, left hand holding	Head right; rightward gaze
		newspaper.	correlated with “Nancy”
		Two hands, saggital right, right palm
		straight, left hand holding
		newspaper.
		Left-flat lateral, away body, correlated
		with “Nancy”
0:5:4	If you look at the Charleston paper today	Holding newspaper with both hands;	Head down; gaze at newspaper
	there was an article today about Boeing,	pulsing beat gestures corresponding
	Bosses, and Bush talkin’ about how in	to the syllables of “Charleston paper
	essence	today.”
		Left index finger pointing at paper
0:15:5	The stand by the National Labor Relations	Left hand, palm down, fingers spread	Head right; forward gaze
	Board would have prevented what is going	Cyclical beats corresponding to onset	Head left; forward gaze (at Pelosi
	on with Boeing and the two thousand jobs	syllables of “stand” by the “National	poster)
	that came with it.	Labor Relations Board”
		Movement left
		Left hand, saggital, palm straight
		followed by two brief cylclical getures
		corresponding to onset syllables of
		“prevented” “Boeing” and “2000
		jobs”
0:24:1	So my question to you, Nancy, is. where	Left-flat lateral; away body	Head left; forward gaze (at Pelosi
	do you stand on NLRB? Let me say that		poster)
	again Nancy, where do you stand on NLRB
	because, again, if you look at what took
	place, they would have, again, eliminated
	the good news that came with Boeing.
0:40:1	She’s not gonna answer that one
0:43:1	But I would say then, if you look in the	Grabs second newspaper with left
	Wall Street Journal article today, there’s a	hand
	great article on stimulus talkin’ bout USA	Points with open right hand, palm
	drove [undecifearable] to overreach.	down at newspaper.
		Opens up newspaper with right hand.
		Right-flat, palm down; sweep
0:51:6	Talkin’ bout how stimulus money caused	Right-flat lateral; away body
	this company, in essence, not only be a
	big pitfall with regard to tax payers, but
	really be a big pitfall with regard to this
	particular company.
1:03:2	And so, I would ask you, Nancy, where do		Head left; forward gaze (at Pelosi
	you stand on stimulus?		poster)
1:06:3	And I think what Nancy would say is that
	she stands for simulus in a way that’s very
	different from the way that I stood for a
	long while on the whole notion of bringing
	our financial house in order.

Table 4

Sanford: Camera angles.

Onset Time	Camera Angle & Description	Duration
0.00	Medium shot; zoom-in	4 sec.
0.4	Close-up; zoom out	3 sec.
0.7	Two-shot (Sanford & Pelosi poster)	20 sec.
0.27	Zoom-in (Pelosi poster)	1 sec.
0.28	Close-up (Pelosi poster)	9 sec.
0.37	Handheld shot, pan left (to Sanford)	1 sec.
0.38	Close-up	10 sec.
0.48	Zoom-out, medium shot	19 sec.
1:07	Handheld shot, pan right (to Pelosi poster)	2 sec.
1:09	Close-up (Pelosi poster)	6 sec.
1:15	Handheld shot, pan left (to Sanford)	2 sec.
1:17	Close-up (Sanford)	1 sec.

Received: 2016-07-04

Accepted: 2016-10-07

Published Online: 2017-06-29

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/lingvan-2016-0046

Keywords for this article

cognitive linguistics; construction grammar; fictive interaction; rhetorical situations