Illocutionary acts by Zohran Mamdani in the final 2025 New York mayoral debate

Salsabila, Jilan (2026) Illocutionary acts by Zohran Mamdani in the final 2025 New York mayoral debate. Sarjana thesis, UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung.

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Abstract

Language plays an important role in human communication. It is used not only to share information but also to express ideas, opinions, emotions, and intentions. In political debates, language also plays a significant role because candidates use it not only to provide information but also to persuade voters and influence public opinion. One way to understand how politicians achieve these goals is by analyzing illocutionary acts, which reveal the speaker’s intentions behind an utterance. This study aims to identify the types of illocutionary acts used by Zohran Mamdani in the final 2025 New York mayoral debate and to analyze how the functions of illocutionary acts are used to persuade voters. This study employed a qualitative content analysis method to interpret the utterances and examine how language was used to persuade audiences in political debates. The study applied Searle’s (1979) speech act theory to classify the types of illocutionary acts and Leech’s (1983) theory to analyze their functions. The findings reveal that out of 114 data analyzed, four types of illocutionary acts were identified. Assertive acts were the most dominant type, with 71 data, commissive acts with 27 data, directive acts with 10 data, and expressive acts with 6 data, while no declaration act was found. Regarding the functions of illocutionary acts, the findings show that the functions of illocutionary acts were expressed in different ways. Collaborative functions were presented through factual information, policy explanations, and evidence-based arguments. Conflictive functions were expressed in a direct and confrontational way. Competitive functions consistently emphasized the need for change, while convivial functions were expressed in an inclusive and appreciative way to maintain a positive relationship with the audience. Overall, Mamdani mainly used assertive illocutionary acts, followed by commissive, directive, and expressive acts. In addition, Mamdani applied all four of functions of illocutionary acts to persuade the audience by presenting facts, challenging opponents, encouraging change, and using inclusive communication.

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