Pragmatics of Silence: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Strategic Silences in Political and Media Discourse
This study investigates the strategic use of silence in political and media discourse, focusing on its communicative, rhetorical, and ideological functions. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combines critical discourse analysis, acoustic analysis, and audience perception surveys. The data include 300 hours of political speeches, 200 media interviews, and 50 hours of digital media content. The findings reveal that political speakers employ longer, less frequent pauses to emphasize arguments and establish authority, whereas media interviewees use shorter, more frequent silences to avoid challenging questions. The study also demonstrates that digital platforms influence the strategic use of silence through algorithmic moderation. Cross-cultural findings indicate significant differences in how audiences interpret silence. The research concludes that silence is not merely the absence of speech but an active communicative strategy shaped by context, culture, and power relations. These findings offer implications for critical discourse analysis, media literacy, and digital communication.