Now performs an array of discursive functions in political discourse. This study examined now in a number of political speeches that have global themes. It employed speech act theory and proximization theory to understand such functions in context. The main argument is that now provides a transition point to the hearer’s cognitive space. This transition is essential to perform the speech act of acknowledging, thus changing the hearer’s mental representation prior to performing the act of directing. Now can also change the hearer’s mental representation by aligning analogous/incompatible or non-complementary propositions to increase his unexpectedness of their similarity/difference and therefore decrease his likelihood of non-compliance to an issued directive, soliciting of approval or legitimization of a policy. Now as a marker of text coherence can help plan the discourse moves from the distribution of roles according to the speaker’s deictic center, through proximization of threat, to reaching legitimization of policy or calling for immediate action.

Title

International Journal of Linguistics

Publisher

Taylor Francis

Publisher Country

Denmark

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

48

Year

2016

Pages

195-218