“An Investigation of Pauses and Concealment Strategies as Forms of Silence in Foreign Political Discourse: A Pragmatic Study”

This study is devoted to show how silence, in certain cases, is more than lack of words. Doubtless to say, silence might have myriad meanings depending on the context. Context dependent interpretations of pauses and concealment strategies correspond to the fact that silence is subjective and it can be employed as a vehicle that conveys a message in the same way that speech does.To achieve the aim of this study, a synthesis of Jaworskis (1993) and Johennsens (1974) theoretic models are followed. Thus, this study constructs its eclectic model by merging the functions of the above mentioned models to investigate the pauses and concealment strategies functions and intentions in selected political discourses. The analysis highlights Obamas pauses in political debate and Dr. Merkel intended concealment as strategies in term of ethnicity and gender.Finally, the findings provide valuable insights into the use of silent moments as a tool to convey a meaning, that is influenced by individual intention, culture and context, in foreign political discourse. In political discourse, pauses are employed strategically to emphasize on sensitive topics that are related to ethnicity as in Obamas utilizing of filler pauses, when he navigates discussions about serving minorities with restraint and caution, recognizing the sensitivities involved in this issue. Silence, in certain cases, functions as protective mechanism in political discourse as in intended silent moments of Dr.Merkel which exemplifies how concealment serves as a rhetorical strategy. However, the current study contributes to the academic discourse in presenting silence as a powerful entity that forms political messages, and it can add a hidden meaning that verbal clue cannot add through political interactions.