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Vol. 13 No. 1 (2024)

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Submitted
Jun 18, 2024
Published
Jun 18, 2024

Thinking like Nyerere’: Authority Argumentation by Quotation in Tanzanian Parliamentary Discourse

https://doi.org/10.56279.13.1.5
Brighton Msagalla

Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), Vol. 13 No. 1 (2024)

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.

Keywords

authority argumentation, Nyerere, pragma-dialectics, quotation, Tanzanian parliamentary discourse
Msagalla, B. . (2024). Thinking like Nyerere’: Authority Argumentation by Quotation in Tanzanian Parliamentary Discourse. Journal of Humanities &Amp; Social Science (JHSS), 13(1). https://doi.org/10.56279.13.1.5
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