A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Arusha Declaration

ABSTRACT

This study dealt with A Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of the Arusha Declaration. The study examined the role of language as an instrument of ideology and power in political discourse. The Arusha Declaration Document was selected as a case study.The case study seeks to describe a unit in detail, in context and holistically. It is essential as it allows studying many things from few.The Document was analysed critically in order to show that language canbe manipulated strategically to achieve ideological and power goals in society. The study employed qualitative approach having in mind three specific objectives: (i) To critically examine lexico-grammatical categories used in the Arusha Declaration to propagate the socialist ideology (ii) To identify lexicogrammatical categories employed in the Arusha Declaration to label less valued social groups in relation to the dominant majority group ideology and (iii) To examine the themes and messages of the Arusha Declaration to Tanzanians. Study findings reveal that ideology is dependent on language manipulation and vice versa. The commonest lexico-grammatical categories employed in political rhetoric to achieve ideological objectives include the use of pronouns, passive forms, three-part statements, repetition, figures of speech, ideological vocabulary and vague and ambiguous vocabulary. The study also revealed despite the fact that some scholars of the origins of language have been arguing language essentially began due to political reasons i.e man is a political animal in nature, hence political language that consists largely of metaphors, triads, cloudy vagueness and other stylistic features should be intensively minimized if at all abandoned for a clear, honest and understandable communication between the users and their clients.