The proclamations of presidents in public communication — ritual and/or novelty and the political context
The article analyses proclamations pronounced by four Polish presidents: S. Wojciechowski, I. Mościcki, L. Kaczyński and B. Komorowski. The president’s inaugural proclamation is a ritualised genre directed at the nation, concerning matters of high importance. Its structure depends on the political context which defines the topic, the audience and the role of the rhetoric subject. The proclamations contain axiological vocabulary, defined by the country’s historical situation, as well as pathetic constructions. Also, in this genre the impressive function predominates. The linguistic means of persuasion are independent of the historical period, nonetheless, its intensity differs. The construction of the implied receiver differs from text to text, which is aresult of the role taken by the speaker.