Chapter 6. Apology as hypocrisy

Abstract

Apologies have been a rewarding target for research in the pragmatics tradition; however, few studies connect apologies to hypocrisy. This chapter is an attempt to do so. I approach the pragmalinguistic aspects of hypocrisy by examining two notorious apologies: Clinton’s 1998 apology for his Monica Lewinsky affair and Trump’s 2016 apology for his vulgar comments about women. I argue that hypocritical apologies can be identified via an analysis of felicity conditions (including the speakers’ motivations and intentions) and move structures. Clinton’s and Trump’s apologies share most features with non-hypocritical apologies, but they also include self-promotional and accusatory moves toward the end of the speech event which are absent from genuine apologies. These extra moves turn their apologies into hypocritical ones.