Conventionally Indirect Requests in the Press Conferences of U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy

Abstract

The aim of this research is to investigate the use ofconventionally indirect requests by the journalists inpolitical press conferences. Being conventionally indirectis one of the politeness strategies in Brown and Levinsontheory of politeness (1978). “ Being conventionallyindirect means the use of phrases and sentences that havecontextually unambiguous meanings which are differentfrom their literal meanings’’ (Ibid.:137). It ishypothesized that journalists have become more directand less cautious in their questions. This research is acomparative study analyzing the use of conventionallyindirect questions in two different periods. The analysisconcentrates on the press conferences conducted by twoU.S. presidents , Barack Obama (2009- present) and JohnF. Kennedy (1961-1963).The material studied show thatthe use of the indirectrequests decreased significantly in the present-day pressconferences. Also examining the questions indicates thatthere are certain factors affect the choice of the indirectspeech request.