Used For Persuasion in Kimuthambi.

Abstract

Persuasion is inherent in everyday communication and is very important in relationships, leadership, peace building and success in virtually every area of livelihood. This study’s main goal is to provide an analysis of persuasion in Kimuthambi. The objective of the study is to identify and discuss strategies used for persuasion in Kimuthambi. The study is guided by the relevance theory by Sperber and Wilson. It utilizes both qualitative and quantitative research designs and is carried out in Muthambi Division, Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. The population includes all Kimuthambi communicative events. The researcher purposively sampled 10 real life communicative events conducted in Kimuthambi. Data was collected using a guiding card and an observation schedule. A voice recorder was used to capture conversations from the selected communicative events, which were transcribed onto a guiding card. The observation schedule was used to record the contextual information. The transcribed utterances were 136. Guided by the communicative principle of relevance, the researcher identifies and discusses 84 utterances used for persuasion in Kimuthambi. Persuasion in Kimuthambi is mainly through logical appeals, emotional appeals and sensationalism. This study adds to existing knowledge on strategies of persuasion in various languages and enriches knowledge on the tenets of the relevance theory. It also enhances the analysis of Kimuthambi as a language variety and thus contributes to cross linguistic studies.