Hate Speech in the Creation of Socio- Political Dominance in Kenyan Parliamentary Debates

Abstract

Speech can vary in meaning and implication. It can become something more than a vehicle for the communication of propositional knowledge. Speakers can manipulate language to evoke the emotions of recipients, hence becoming “damaging speech” that evokes negative emotions. What is said or written can have devastating effects on an individual and the society at large. The purpose of the study was to identify and discuss hate speech as a linguistic strategy used by parliamentarians in the creation of socio- political dominance. Sample texts were studied using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. Data was collected from The Hansard using a guiding card to identify utterances that had the potential of being classified as hate speech. This was analysed. The research found that politically elected leaders use the immunity that they enjoy to manipulate language to create dominance