From Device to Deed: A Framework for Mapping Rhetorical Moves to Illocutionary Effects in Political Speech

Abstract

This paper proposes a unified framework—Device–Act–Felicity–Effect (DAFE)—linking rhetorical criticism and speech-act pragmatics to explain how political speakers transform linguistic form into performative action. It addresses the gap between rhetorical form and pragmatic function, offering a systematic model for mapping rhetorical devices to illocutionary force, felicity cues, and audience uptake. Building on Austin and Searle’s speech-act theory and contemporary rhetorical analysis, the framework formalises rhetorical devices as felicity scaffolds that make speech acts recognisable and legitimate. It employs a four-layer annotation system: (A) Rhetorical Device, (B) Illocutionary Force, (C) Felicity Signal, and (D) Perlocutionary Intent. Procedures for coder training, reliability testing (κ, α), and optional NLP support ensure replicability and scalability. Applications to Nelson Mandela’s Statement from the Dock (1964) and Yasser Arafat’s UN Address (1974) show that rhetorical devices perform essential felicity functions under contested authority. Repetition heightens commissive sincerity; metaphor and antithesis enact recognition; ethos substitutes for institutional legitimacy. These patterns reveal rhetoric as a mechanism through which political actors constitute moral and performative authority. Value: The DAFE framework establishes a reproducible bridge between rhetoric and pragmatics, turning interpretive insights into structured, comparable data. Practical Implications: It supports cross-cultural and computational analyses of political oratory, diplomacy, and protest discourse, providing an open, field-building method for cumulative research on performative legitimacy in global communication.