Dysphemism Strategies in President Buhari’s Arise TV Interview

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to check the use of dysphemism in Political Discourse. It featured the functions and aim of dysphemism, and the role it plays in enabling political actors to hide under utterance to attack face of others. It tries to give reasons for the use of dysphemism as a impoliteness strategy that tends to be direct in effect. For the purpose of answering the research questions, President Buhari’s Arise TV interview of 10th July, 2021 was analyzed using Culpeper’s impoliteness strategies to identifying the use of dysphemism, its types and functions. The outcome of the analyses showed that dysphemism as used in Political Discourse is geared towards damaging tendencies as politicians attack the face of their opponents, diminish the target while maintaining and sustaining their ‘benefits’, and lastly, justify their action and reinforce their influence in social interactions.