SYSTEMIC FEATURES OF ELECTORAL DISCOURSE (based on the example of the U.S. presidential campaign of 2023-2024)

Abstract

The proposed article is devoted to the problem of linguistic realization of certain systemic features (manipulativeness, agonality, aggressiveness) in the discourse of the 2023–2024 American presidential campaign.
 Electoral discourse is a specific and complex genre of political communication characterized by clearly defined differential features of institutional interaction, while also displaying traits of personal communication conditioned by the context of free interaction, including spontaneous speech. It also bears ethnospecific markers. As a variety of political discourse, its core concepts are “power” and “politicians,” but the fundamental idea of the concept of “power” shifts toward its component – “the struggle for power.” This particular type of discourse directly influences the formation of voters’ sympathies and beliefs, thereby shaping the political realities of a country, which determines the relevance of its study.
 The characteristic systemic features of the American electoral discourse of 2023–2024 (the latest U.S. presidential campaign) are manipulativeness, agonality, and aggressiveness. All of these features are realized through specific linguistic means, the analysis of which is of particular interest.
The systemic feature of manipulativeness is manifested through the following verbal means: labeling, axiological units with negative connotations, the communicative category of “us vs. them,” and repetition.
The agonality of this type of discourse is realized through the tactics of accusation, “minus-analysis,” and exposure. These tactics are implemented by candidates through the use of the following verbal units: antonyms, rhetorical questions, repetition of temporal markers, and lexical items with harsh or offensive meanings.
As for aggressiveness, it is characteristic only of the electoral rhetoric of the Republican Party candidate, Donald Trump, and is manifested through the following linguistic units: aggressive metaphors, images of violence, certain modal verbs, and the imperative verb “let” in relevant contexts
The prospects for future research lie in further exploration of a range of systemic features of electoral discourse and the linguistic means of their realization, which are the key factors in understanding the pReferences: and inclinations of the electorate–ultimately leading to the implementation of one candidate’s intentions to attain the highest office in the country.