Strategic Choice of Language Use in Bush’s COVID-19 Message: A Linguistic Adaptation Perspective

Abstract

Language is essential not only in maintaining interpersonal relationships but also in achieving other social or political goals. In politics, the language is a tool creatively used by politicians to brainwash, manipulate, encourage and persuade their citizens or masses to do something. Strategic choice of language has made it easier for politicians to influence citizens' emotional and mental perception with their political speeches and messages. Through the use of Verschureren’s Linguistic Adaptation Theory, this study analyses President Bush’s COVID-19 message to examine how it adapts to the three-communication context in correlation adaptability and how it influences the emotional and mental perception of the US citizens in abiding with the stipulated health regulations and fostering unity and solidarity. The findings of the study show that, through the strategic choice of language use which adapts to the social, mental and physical world, the former American President Bush tends to persuade, encourage and inculcate the sense of unity and the American spirit in the American citizens to remain calm by following the health regulations.