Urpo Nikanne, Åbo Akademi University
Geda Paulsen, Estonian Language Institute / Uppsala University
In our paper, we will discuss the language use in the government programs in Estonia and Finland (in Estonia: “Governance Actions Program” and in Finland “Government Programme”). In Finland, all the government programs can be found on the government website (https://vnk.fi/) and in Estonia they are published on the Estonian government website (https://www.valitsus.ee/).
Government program text have several functions: it is (i) a strategy that defines and motivates the goals of the government and the means achieving these goals, (ii) an agreement between the political parties in the government coalition, and (iii) information to the parliament and the citizens of the plans of the government.
We will focus on the third function, as it is crucial to open decision making, and concentrate on the programs of the current governments: Sanna Marin’s government in Finland (10 December 2019) and Kaja Kallas’ government in Estonia (25 January 2021).
As strategy texts, government programs are supposed to describe the current situation, i.e., the starting point when the government starts its work, the goals that the government is aiming at, and the means that the government will use for achieving its goals. Basically, that is all there should be. Yet, the texts often include confusing parts whose only function is to appeal to the readers’ emotions. We call those parts in classical rhetorical terms pathos. E.g., in the Finnish Government Programme, the introduction ends with the following appeal:
“Being in the middle of changes is not always easy, and we know that we will also face difficulties. We can succeed when we all take part in the transformation and in meeting the objectives.”
In the introduction of the Estonian Governance Program and Governance Agreement, pathos is baked in the description of the current situation:
“COVID-19 is not the only thing that has had a devastating effect on people’s well-being. We have also had to fight the global pandemic of evil that, even before the coronavirus, had begun to weaken the sense of unity and cooperation between and within nations. Without teamwork, there will soon be no more work. If there is no work to bring bread to the table, the lives of people will no longer be worthwhile.”
We will discuss the government programs in general and focus on pathos.
References
https://www.valitsus.ee/valitsuse-eesmargid-ja-tegevused/valitsemise-alused/tegevusprogramm