A pragmatic analysis of the implicatures in the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s speech recognizing the State of Palestine

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58881/jllscs.v4i1.450

Keywords:

conversational implicature, Gricean pragmatics, Keir Starmer, political speech, pragmatic analysis, state recognition of Palestine

Abstract

This research examines the pragmatic analysis of the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's speech announcing the official recognition of the State of Palestine on September 21, 2025. Using Grice's conversational maxims quality, quantity, manner and relation, the speech is analyzed and its deliberate violations are exposed, with a focus on how these violations that generate implicit meanings that reflect the UK's diplomatic position. By applying a qualitative descriptive analytical framework, the research explores deliberate ambiguities, strategic omissions, and indirect language that serve the UK's international and domestic political objectives. The findings reveal that the discourse employs pragmatic strategies to balance support for Israel's security with recognition of a Palestinian state, justifying political decisions while appeasing public opinion. The analysis highlights the role of language as a tool for persuasion, negotiation, and justification in sensitive political issues, contributing to a deeper understanding of how political discourse shapes international relations.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Maysam Mohammad Rjoub, Hebron University, PALESTINE

This research examines the pragmatic analysis of the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's speech announcing the official recognition of the State of Palestine on September 21, 2025. Using Grice's conversational maxims quality, quantity, manner and relation, the speech is analyzed and its deliberate violations are exposed, with a focus on how these violations that generate implicit meanings that reflect the UK's diplomatic position. By applying a qualitative descriptive analytical framework, the research explores deliberate ambiguities, strategic omissions, and indirect language that serve the UK's international and domestic political objectives. The findings reveal that the discourse employs pragmatic strategies to balance support for Israel's security with recognition of a Palestinian state, justifying political decisions while appeasing public opinion. The analysis highlights the role of language as a tool for persuasion, negotiation, and justification in sensitive political issues, contributing to a deeper understanding of how political discourse shapes international relations.

Dr. Mahmood Eshreteh, Hebron University, PALESTINE

This research examines the pragmatic analysis of the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's speech announcing the official recognition of the State of Palestine on September 21, 2025. Using Grice's conversational maxims quality, quantity, manner and relation, the speech is analyzed and its deliberate violations are exposed, with a focus on how these violations that generate implicit meanings that reflect the UK's diplomatic position. By applying a qualitative descriptive analytical framework, the research explores deliberate ambiguities, strategic omissions, and indirect language that serve the UK's international and domestic political objectives. The findings reveal that the discourse employs pragmatic strategies to balance support for Israel's security with recognition of a Palestinian state, justifying political decisions while appeasing public opinion. The analysis highlights the role of language as a tool for persuasion, negotiation, and justification in sensitive political issues, contributing to a deeper understanding of how political discourse shapes international relations.

References

UK Government. (2025, September 21). Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s speech: UK recognition of the State of Palestine. GOV.UK.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-on-the-recognition-of-palestine-21-september-2025

Grice, H. P. (1975). Logic and conversation. In P. Cole & J. L. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and semantics: Speech acts (Vol. 3, pp. 41–58). Academic Press.

https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=1624739

Agbo, I. I., Nwachukwu, R. C., & Ugwuagbo, W. O. (2023). Pragmatic analysis of selected speeches of some governors on workers’ day celebration in Nigeria. English Language Teaching, 16(5), 45–58.

https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v16n5p77

Khater, H. A., Altakhaineh, A. R. M., & Dahnous, F. (2024). Pragmatic analysis of King Abdullah’s speech: Exploring speech acts and societal context. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 11(1) Article 2433879.

https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2024.2433879

Arroyo, J. L. B. (2015). Pragmatics of political discourse. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics (pp. 1–7). Wiley-Blackwell.

https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal1464

Chilton, P. (2004). Analysing political discourse: Theory and practice. Routledge.

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203561218/analysing-political-discourse-paul-chilton

Evizariza, A. (2024). Pragmatic analysis of political discourse: A case study of presidential debates. Social Studies & Humanities Journal (SOSHUM), 1(1),78-89.

https://doi.org/10.62207

Fairclough, N. (2013). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language (2nd ed.). Routledge.

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315834368

Hassan, J. S. (2022). A pragmatic study of non-observance maxims in selected political speeches. Journal of Language Studies, 5(2), 38-48.

https://doi.org/10.25130/jls.5.2.18

Levinson, S. C. (1983). Pragmatics. Cambridge University Press.

https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813313

Nashmi, B. H., & Mehdi, W. S. (2022). A pragmatic study of identity representation

in American political speeches. Journal of the College of Education for Women, 28(1), 144–156.

https://doi.org/10.36231/coedw.v32i2

Ojukwu, C. C., & Osuchukwu, N. C. (2019). Pragmatics analysis of selected political speeches of Nelson Mandela. Journal of the English Scholars’ Association of Nigeria, 21(2), 63-85.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344865046

Thomas, J. (1995). Meaning in interaction: An introduction to pragmatics. Longman.

https://archive.org/details/meaningininterac0000thom

Published

2026-03-06

How to Cite

Rjoub, M. M., & Eshreteh, D. M. (2026). A pragmatic analysis of the implicatures in the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s speech recognizing the State of Palestine . Journal of Language, Literature, Social and Cultural Studies, 4(1), 65–78. https://doi.org/10.58881/jllscs.v4i1.450

Issue

Section

Articles

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.