The investigation of slogans use during El-Hirak Upheaval: A Critical Discourse Analysis Approach.

Abstract

Analyzing the movement‟s slogans is a way to understand the purpose behind it, because the slogans served as a link between the people and the authority through which the demonstrators were able to express their demands and ideas in a peaceful and civilized manner. This study aims to investigate the slogan use during the Hirak uprising. Therefore , we have collected a sufficient sample of data that includes 90 slogans in different languages and sources, to be analyzed then according to Fairclough‟s (1989-1995) Critical Discourse Analysis model, which contains three main dimensions: description, explanation and interpretation which helped to ensure the comprehensiveness of the analysis and the organization of our work in various respects. The results showed that El-Hirak was a means of survival and change that made the Algerian people linguistically creative in expressing their demands in a peaceful way through raising banners contain slogans written in different languages that have shown to the world the cultural diversity of the Algerian multilingual society. The movement‟s slogans included hidden messages, some of which were political, stipulates the need to fight political corruption of all kinds, most notably the departure of the Bouteflika‟s regime. Socially, it was focused on the demand for improving the living conditions of citizens who have suffered for decades. As for the economic, it included raising the purchasing power of the citizen and advancing the country‟s economy.