Conditional clauses and political persuasive discourse: a case study of the 2024 South African election

This study investigates the strategic deployment of conditional sentences in political discourse, exploring how diverse types of conditionals function as persuasive mechanisms to shape voter perceptions, construct political narratives, and mobilise electoral support. This study employed a qualitative approach grounded in Speech Act Theory to collect data. Researchers selectively sampled political speeches, manifestos, and campaign materials from both established and new political organisations during the 2024 South African elections. Sources included official party websites, YouTube, and TikTok, with audiovisual content transcribed for systematic textual analysis. The findings reveal that politicians strategically employed zero, first, second, and third conditional sentences to present claims as factual or hypothetical, enhance credibility, perform persuasive speech acts, and stimulate voter engagement, highlighting the significant rhetorical and political functions of conditional constructions. These results demonstrate that conditional sentences extend beyond linguistic structures, serving as deliberate speech acts that articulate social, economic, and political visions, evoke emotional responses, and mobilise public support. The study highlights the nuanced ways in which language serves as a strategic instrument in political persuasion and the shaping of public opinion, providing deeper insight into the intersection of linguistics and political influence.