Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing - Volume 42, Issue 2, 2020

Abstract Introduction to special issue on political debate This special issue is dedicated to the retirement of former editor in chief of the Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing Ton van Haaften. It presents an investigation of some aspects of the communicative activity type ‘political debate’ from both a discourse and a historical angle. A special focus is put on Dutch parliamentary debate, of which it is shown that its norms and conventio Read More

Abstract Strategic manoeuvring in plenary debates in the Second Chamber of Dutch Parliament The (extended) pragma-dialectical argumentation theory assumes that people engaged in argumentative discourse manoeuvre strategically. In argumentative reality, the strategic manoeuvring is carried out within specific argumentative activity types. In this paper it is argued that pragma-dialectics offers a fruitful approach to stud Read More

Abstract ‘Parasitic Politics’. Thorbecke and Personal Attacks in the Dutch Lower House This contribution uses a famous personal attack in Dutch parliamentary history to discuss ad hominem in the context of the activity type of parliamentary debating. The case is Thorbecke, liberal leader and most prominent defender of pure parliamentary discussion, vs the then Prime Minister Van Hall, in December 1860. Thorbecke rejected Read More

Abstract ‘Maranatha’: Kuyper is coming! From sermon to party speech: Abraham Kuyper’s eloquence In this article, we present a rhetorical-historical analysis of the speech Maranatha by Dutch politician and former pastor Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper’s style of speech stands out in nineteenth century Dutch political culture, as it is generally more expressive and aimed at the public compared to the pragmatic and leg Read More

Abstract The Personal Attack as Essential Characteristic of Parliamentary Debating. An Analysis on the Basis of the History of ‘Unparliamentary Language’ in the Dutch Lower House Personal attacks abound in Dutch parliamentary history. This article considers personal insults and character attacks as an intrinsic part of parliamentary debate. But how widespread is the phenomenon? What forms of ad hominem arguments ca Read More

Abstract Remarks about the person in Thorbecke’s Second Chamber There is always a risk in parliamentary politics that objective debate will change into personal debate and conflict. On the one hand, orators can choose to launch a personal verbal attack to their opponents. On the other hand, opponents can interpret verbal arguments as a personal attack, even if these words were not meant that way. In the most extrem Read More

Abstract ‘I speak on behalf of millions of Dutch people’: Wilders’ presentation of the populist argument in political debate This study explores the ways in which the Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders formulates populist arguments, i.e. the argument by which it is claimed that if many people hold a certain standpoint, this standpoint should be accepted. A corpus study of 27 texts taken from the website of Wilders’ politi Read More