Abstract
This study employed rhetorical discourse analysis to examine the rhetorical appeals employed by Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson candidates in their political campaign speeches. Thematic analysis was also used to identify the general themes drawn from the analyses. Gagich & Zickel’s key linguistic characteristics served as a framework to identify linguistic characteristics present in the speeches of the selected candidates. Our focus, as researchers, centered on analyzing the rhetorical appeals present in ten campaign speeches delivered by SK chairperson candidates, originating from both urban and rural barangays in General Santos City, disseminated on the social media platform Facebook. Throughout the data collection process, our findings revealed that in urban barangays, pathos had the highest percentage, followed by logos, with ethos being the least utilized appeal. Conversely, in rural barangays, logos emerged as the predominant appeal, followed by pathos, while ethos remained the least utilized. Moreover, the linguistic characteristics of "elaboration", "emotion-laden vocabulary,” and "credibility" surfaced as the most frequently employed. Distinct themes such as Credibility and Qualifications, and Youth Empowerment through Education were identified in the speeches. Based on the results of this study, we recommend that voters familiarize themselves with Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle, which empowers them to analyze political discourse discerningly, distinguishing credibility, well-founded arguments, and appeals rooted in emotion.
