Gender strategies in humanitarian discourse

Abstract

This paper serves as a pilot analysis of means used by good-will ambassadors when delivering humanitarian speeches. The means and strategies employed are analysed on the grounds of the notion of im/politeness, e.g., whether or not the speaker respects, imposes or threatens the hearer's face through the choice of discourse. It aims at determining whether there are significant differences between male and female speech communities regarding rhetoric and linguistic strategies employed in an effort to do good, restore social or political balance, report on injustice, raise awareness or prevent the suffering of those deemed in need of aid. To do so, the paper provides a terminological overview, as humanitarian discourse is generally perceived as an inherent part of the broader and largely explored domain of political discourse. At the same time, humanitarian discourse bears unique qualities that are often overlooked, a fact which this paper attempts to rectify. The practical part offers a discourse analysis of selected humanitarian speeches with emphasis on gender distinction using the statistical data processing software SPSS Statistics. It aims to determine whether there are significant differences among male and female speech communities and what phenomena are typically applied by each group.