PLAYING BY ONE’S OWN RULES: THE LINGUOPRAGMATICS OF EVADING A DIRECT ANSWER

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive study of the linguopragmatic characteristics of the evasion tactic in contemporary political discourse. It establishes that evading a direct answer is an intentional pragmatic tactic consciously employed by politicians to maintain strategic control over the dialogue, preserve their political image and promote their personal agenda in complex communicative situations. The methodological framework of the research comprises discourse analysis, conversation analysis, pragmalinguistic analysis and the continuous selection method. The empirical data is sourced from English language media outlets Forbes Breaking News and Sky News. The theoretical foundation is built upon John Austin and John Searle’s Speech Act Theory, Paul Grice’s Cooperative Principle, and Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson’s Politeness Theory. An analysis of the practical material demonstrates a diverse application of evasive tools. Donald Trump resorts to aggressive topic shifting, emphasizing the journalist’s lack of professionalism. By violating the maxim of relation and employing an indirect communication strategy he neutralizes threats to his negative face and demonstrates total control over the situation, thereby reinforcing his leadership position. This move disrupts the expected transition from a journalistic directive to the politician’s assertive, replacing it with an indirect speech act. Rishi Sunak, on the other hand, utilizes information overload to evade direct answers. He also employs ambiguity, thereby intentionally violating the maxims of quantity and manner. To avoid accountability for political missteps Sunak additionally uses passive voice constructions, which allow him to depersonalize blame and protect both his positive and negative face. It is proved that intentional evasion of direct answers is a deliberate self-image tactic that allows political figures to maintain flexibility in their communicative behavior and project their personal goals onto a mass audience.