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Title Derisive Pakistani Political Tweets: A Socio- Pragmatic Study

Author(s) Affifa Maryam

Abstract This study delves into the realm of Pakistani political discourse on Twitter. It focuses on the socio-pragmatic aspects of derisive humor employed by prominent political figures from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) parties in their tweets. Through a comprehensive analysis of forty-eight tweets collected over a period of eight months, from January 2022 to August 2022, the study identifies and categorizes linguistic choices of travesty used in these tweets. The objectives include examining these choices as types of humor and analyzing the mediated ideologies underlying verbal humor in the context of Pakistani politics. This study aims to address this gap using a socio-pragmatic approach to explore the use of mockery in Pakistani politics. The methodology is supplemented by i. Attardo’s General Theory of Verbal Humor, ii. Shade’s categories of Verbal Humor and iii. Trudgill’s Sociolinguistic Variables to conduct the content analysis of the selected tweets. The findings of the study indicate that humor, particularly satire, irony and sarcasm, is utilized not only for entertainment but also as a strategic tool to critique opponents, shape public opinion and assert dominance in the political landscape. Sociolinguistic variables such as power dynamics and political position significantly influence the linguistic strategies employed by politicians. It also reveals a complex interplay between language, power and ideology. The study sheds light on the intricate relationship between humor and politics, highlighting how linguistic techniques are used to influence user's perceptions and propagate political agendas on social media platforms. Politicians from PTI and PML-N utilize humor to reinforce their political ideologies on Twitter. One of the implications of the study is that political communication on social media platforms creates a denigrated image of these politicians. Generally, the public look upto these figures as their role models. However, in the light of the study, politicians fail to become ideals or role models for their people.

Type Thesis/Dissertation MS

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2025-03-04

Subject English Linguistics

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