Intercultural rhetorical approach to homiletic discourse in Batangas Tagalog and Iloilo Hiligaynon languages

• Main Author: Piad, Regie Dequelia, OSJ
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2009
• Subjects: Hiligaynon language; Philippine languages; Applied Linguistics
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/273
• Institution: De La Salle University

The study was an attempt to examine the Batangas Tagalog and Iloilo Hiligaynon homilies through intercultural rhetorical approach or contrastive rhetoric. It described the organizational moves, speech acts and the different rhetorical appeals present in the two sets of homilies. In particular, it analyzed the types of affective appeals in the Batangas Tagalog and Iloilo Hiligaynon homilies in relation to pahiwatig. The data were obtained from the two sets of homilies of the clergy namely, the priests of Batangas and Iloilo provinces. This paper used textual analyses to arrive at the identification and comparison of the organizational moves, speech acts and rhetorical appeals in the homilies. The discourse structure of the two sets of homilies did not differ from each other. The study revealed the same organizational moves: introductory statement, situation, problem, solution, evaluation and closing marker. However, the introductory statement was found to be optional in the homilies. On the other hand, there was a widespread use of the situation move in both sets of homilies. The study also revealed the sub-moves of the situation move: general situation, personal experience, Church feast/ Tradition and Scriptural situation. In terms of speech acts, this paper revealed the prevalent use of representatives and directives, particularly description/illustration and explanation/classification. The study also showed differences in terms of the use of the different rhetorical appeals of logos, ethos and pathos corresponding to the rational, credibility and affective appeals. In terms of rational appeals, cause and effect and analogy were frequently used in the homilies. The paper also revealed the prevalent use of authority in the credibility appeals in the two sets of homilies. Furthermore, the i ii analysis of the affective appeals showed the use of shame and pity as the preferred emotional appeals of the priests. The widespread use of the situation move in organizational structure, the description/illustration move of representatives in speech acts and the affective appeals revealed the cultural element of pahiwatig or indirectness among the priests of Batangas and Iloilo. This level of indirectness is manifested across organizational moves and helps define the communicative patterns of Batangas Tagalog and Iloilo Hiligaynon homilies. However, the discourse structure of the two sets of homilies did not differ from each other and both employed the same moves, speech acts and appeals that showed the cultural element of indirectness in the Filipino clergy. In view of these findings, it can be concluded that not much of cross-cultural variations can be found in the two sets of homilies of the Catholic clergy. It seems that their training as priests and their studies of the discourse features of the homilies in the seminary lessened the disparity in their use of their own language. However, the level of indirectness in both sets of homilies describes a characteristic of the culture of the Filipinos in general and the Batangas Tagalog and Iloilo Hiligaynon clergy in particular. This study is therefore important in its use of intercultural rhetorical approach and in its analysis of the two major Philippine languages in their respective contexts.