The Role of Evaluative Language and Fear Appeal Messages in Persuasion in Arab TV Talk Shows: A Discourse Analysis Study

Abstract

This analytical research investigated how evaluative language and fear appeal messages impact persuasion efficacy within a popular Arab TV talk show, focusing on an episode that discussed the 1979 Grand Mosque of Makkah siege. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating two analytical tools: Martin and White’s Appraisal theory, nestled in the paradigm of Halliday’s systemic functional linguistics, and McGuire’s fear appeal theory, a component of pathos in Aristotle’s persuasion modes. This mixed-methods approach allowed for a nuanced analysis where quantitative data illuminated the prevalence and distribution of evaluative language and fear appeal messages, while qualitative data provided depth, unraveling the context-driven linguistic choices and their impacts on audience reception. The findings elucidated how the speakers’ immediate contexts and ideologies influenced their choices of evaluative language and fear appeals. In turn, how these linguistic choices impacted the contexts and ideologies of the audience. This interaction highlighted the cyclical relationship between language and context, where each continually shapes the other within a dynamic framework. The findings also revealed that—influenced by the episode’s cultural and situational contexts—speakers predominantly used Appraisal resources, with Attitude having the most persuasive impact, followed by Engagement and then Graduation. Furthermore, the speakers infrequently used fear appeal messages, strategically integrating them with Attitude and partially with Engagement or Graduation resources to amplify their persuasive impact. Hopefully, this research will contribute to the expanding literature on Arab media discourse analysis, highlighting how the Arabic language and its context uniquely influence perceptions.