Abstract
This article examines the manner in which members of parliament (MPs) from one political group in Tanzania appeal to the figure of Mwalimu Nyerere through quotations to back up what they are themselves saying, or attack the political actions of other groups during parliamentary debates. The analysed instances of parliamentary quotations are presented in extracts, which are sourced from two parliamentary debates on the annual ministerial budget speeches by the then Minister for Labour and Employment, and the Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children in the 2015/16 fiscal year. The research data were collected from the website of the Tanzanian parliament as online Hansard transcripts. The MPs’ authority arguments by quotation are analysed from the perspective of pragma-dialectics to establish their effectiveness and reasonableness. The findings indicate that the MPs from one political group cite specific voices of Mwalimu Nyerere to suggest that they think like him, or follow his footsteps; while those from the other political groups do not. The findings further suggest that, while some of such arguments could be considered reasonable, others do not satisfy the dialectical goal of reasonableness, although they seem to be effective. The analysis of authority argumentation by quotation in the Tanzanian parliament is significant for developing research interests in African parliamentary discourse, and it contributes to the pragma-dialectical research on parliamentary argumentation in Africa. Thus, it benefits researchers in African parliamentary discourse, argumentation theory, discourse studies, and other related fields. Further research can investigate other salient features of African parliamentary or political discourse, including the role of metaphor and other figurative expressions in influencing political decisions that influence the electorate.
Recommended Citation
Msagalla, Brighton
(2024)
"Thinking like Nyerere’: Authority Argumentation by Quotation in Tanzanian Parliamentary Discourse,"
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences: Vol. 13:
No.
1, Article 7.
DOI: 10.56279.13.1.5
Available at:
https://commons.udsm.ac.tz/jhss/vol13/iss1/7