Language use for self-legitimation and other-delegitimation in Tanzanian presidential campaign speeches

This study examines four campaign speeches given by former President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania and Dr Wilbroad Slaa on the campaign trail in 2010 to find out how they used language for self-legitimation and other-delegitimation purposes. Specifically, it analyses the linguistic and contextual resources the two candidates deployed to legitimate themselves. It also looks at how President Kikwete and Dr Slaa used negatively valued rhetorico-linguistic strategies to delegitimate each other. Moreover, it analyses data collected from some of the target audiences to determine their views on the function of the candidates’ strategies. The four campaign speeches analysed in this study were obtained from the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC). The other data set was collected in the districts of Kinondoni, Nzega, Same and Tandahimba using focus group discussion. This study is grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), specifically in Theo van Leeuwen’s version of CDA which comprises four strategies of legitimation: authority, moralisation, rationalisation and mythopoesis. The strategies may also be used to do delegitimation work. The findings of the study show that the candidates largely employed the same strategies to legitimate themselves and delegitimate each other. Each candidate showed that he was the right person to lead the country and that his opponent was not. However, Dr Slaa articulated his plans and showed how they would be pursued, but President Kikwete only mentioned his plans without talking about how he would implement them. Besides using the linguistic strategies for self-legitimation purposes, the candidates exploited the context in which their speeches were embedded to influence Tanzanians’ thinking on them and on the political parties on whose platforms they were running for president. Furthermore, some of the participants (part of the candidates’ audiences) understood that the deployment of the above-mentioned strategies was geared towards self-legitimation and other-delegitimation. Others noted that, in using the strategies, the candidates were lying or seeking to serve the country and its people. Moreover, the candidates’ arguments/pledges and other factors influenced the participants’ voting decisions. Finally, since this study has examined only campaign speeches, it is recommended that a study incorporating campaign speeches, images and music should be done to find out how self-legitimation and other-delegitimation are done through them. It is also important to impart discursive, campaign-related education to Tanzanians so that they can make the right decisions during elections.