Abstract

This paper aims at investigating presupposition use in Arabic political discourse. The study attempts to answer the feasibility of using presupposition as a convincing tool in Arabic political discourse. The study adopts the Accommodation Analysis model, as examples from the speech of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz on terrorism in 2017 are analyzed from two perspectives: Speaker presupposition perspective and Utterance presupposition perspective. The analysis found that using the Speaker presupposition perspective, presuppositions can pass unblocked, and when a plug exists, the local context creates a hole so that the presupposition can be accommodated successfully. The analysis stresses the value of context to accommodate presuppositions when they encounter projection problems. Presuppositions are more likely blocked when the Utterance presupposition perspective is adopted because different groups may have different interpretations. The findings of the study stress that sharing knowledge, i.e., political beliefs in the context of the study, is vital for a presupposition to pass unblocked.

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