Language of Politics – serie

This book presents a collection of studies on political interviews in a variety of broadcast media worldwide. Following the growing scholarly interest in media talk as a dominant form of political communication in contemporary society, a number of eminent international scholars analyze empirical material from the discourse of public figures and interviewer–journalists to address questions related to the characteristics, conduct, and potential effects of political interviews. Chapters span a varied array of cultural contexts: the U.S.A., U.K., Israel, Japan, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Australia, Philippines, Finland, Brazil, Malaysia, Spain, Venezuela, Montenegro, and the European Community, enabling a comparison of the different structures and contents of political interviews in societies from West to East. Authors bring an interest in discourse and conversation analysis, as well as in rhetorical techniques and strategies used by both interviewers and interviewees, from different disciplinary viewpoints including linguistic, political, cultural, sociological, and social–psychological. In doing so, the book develops a framework to assess the extent to which media political interviews and talk shows, and regular news programs, play a central role in transmitting accurate and genuine political information to the general public, and how audiences can make sense of these programs’ output.

This book presents a collection of studies on political interviews in a variety of broadcast media worldwide. Following the growing scholarly interest in media talk as a dominant form of political communication in contemporary society, a number of eminent international scholars analyze empirical material from the discourse of public figures and interviewer–journalists to address questions related to the characteristics, conduct, and potential effects of political interviews. Chapters span a varied array of cultural contexts: the U.S.A., U.K., Israel, Japan, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Australia, Philippines, Finland, Brazil, Malaysia, Spain, Venezuela, Montenegro, and the European Community, enabling a comparison of the different structures and contents of political interviews in societies from West to East. Authors bring an interest in discourse and conversation analysis, as well as in rhetorical techniques and strategies used by both interviewers and interviewees, from different disciplinary viewpoints including linguistic, political, cultural, sociological, and social–psychological. In doing so, the book develops a framework to assess the extent to which media political interviews and talk shows, and regular news programs, play a central role in transmitting accurate and genuine political information to the general public, and how audiences can make sense of these programs’ output.

This book focuses specifically on the origins, particularities, impact, and repercussions of the multifaceted political discourse, manifested during the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962. For the first time, based on the events of the dramatic “13 days” this book gives a comprehensive account of the numerous communicational challenges which came about in the interaction between political leaders and players of different rank. It's a book about the distinct communicational style of two extraordinary leaders – John Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev – explained in historical context, as a product of a concrete epoch, ideological upbringing, political beliefs and personal roots. At the outset of the Cuban crisis concrete words were at the center of intense deliberations. Words were reviewed and analyzed as if under a microscope. Complementing the picture, they originated from ambassadors, close aides and friends, star reporters, businessmen, spies and even poets. This book draws a picture of how written and oral statements were influenced by country history, cultural backgrounds, individual values, the weight of the media and public opinion in society. Communications created trust, served personal ambitions, came from fear. They exposed the psychological complexes of both parties.With his extensive experience as a political analyst and communication expert, first-hand knowledge of the mindset of the principal participants in the events, the author gives an exciting account of the clash of political discourses and narratives based on civilizational preferences. This book invites a look at how communications can serve the resolution of conflicts today. For a wide range of scholars in history, political sciences, communications studies.

This book seeks to identify the manifold ways in which the multiple European crises, debt, financial, sociopolitical, refugee (re)construct political polarizations in Greece on the basis of the country’s divided past. This is the first book in the context of Discourse Studies and Political Communication which addresses specifically the Greek political particularities and their importance in both the construction and the expression of different notions of political identity in discourse. The book, written by two linguists, provides a critical interactional approach that combines critical discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, argumentation, political sociology, and social theory. Its interdisciplinary character enriches its theoretical platform and makes it distinctive. While the book centers on the Greek political landscape, it offers valuable insights for the broader study of Western politics and societies, which, like Greece, have in recent years been marked by overlapping crises, polarization, and political instability. We anticipate that readers will identify parallels between the Greek case and their own political realities. Coupled with an innovative methodological approach, this study aims to open new pathways in the analysis of political discourses.

This edited collection offers a timely examination of rhetoric and contemporary political culture, and the specific forces and dynamics that have contributed to modern political oratory in selected Western and non-Western societies. It brings together multidisciplinary contributions to provide a comprehensive and detailed exploration regarding: (1) political arguments and rhetorical appeals and strategies used by politicians in the public sphere and the extent to which these arguments and appeals evolved within a particular country, (2) public officials’ speaking styles and how these styles evolved over time, and (3) the way politicians crafted and recalibrated their rhetoric in response to shifting social, cultural, historical, and psychological contexts in diverse national settings. Each chapter included in this anthology explores the specific underlying historical and social forces that affected and determined modern era oratory in a particular country. Together, the authors develop a global survey of modern political rhetoric in societies from West to East, offering cutting-edge analyses to assess the rationale behind public communication and to create a framework evaluating the unfolding role and effect of such rhetoric in contemporary politics. Scholars of communication, rhetoric, and political behavior will find this book of particular interest.

This open access edited book provides a unique entry point to the understanding of politicized journalistic practices as well as rhetorical and linguistic strategies recruited for the coverage of the full-scale war in Ukraine initiated by the Russian Federation in 2022. It consists of a comprehensive set of studies on mediated political discourses from countries neighboring Ukraine – Poland and Romania – presented against the backdrop of English-language reporting of the conflict. The individual studies in the collection explore conflict discourses using either corpus-assisted comparative approaches or interpretative case studies of specific phenomena across languages and genres, basing on a representative dataset from an international project (CORECON, 2024-2026). The authors document the dynamic nature of contemporary war coverage, given a variety of patterns of reception of the discourses of conflict. The collection also highlights a range of problematic journalistic practices in emerging media formats and inspires further research on mediated conflict discourses and war coverage.  “In a carefully reasoned and methodologically transparent approach, the collection explores war media discourses in Romania and Poland, as well as in a comparative sample of English-language coverage. It offers a number of well-founded scientific studies of terminology, stance-making, narratives, visuals, news values, and representations of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. By systematically analyzing stylistic, discursive and rhetorical strategies, the authors also interrogate current editorial practices. They highlight critical issues with media outputs and ideologies co-produced by structural and technological affordances of online conflict coverage.”   -- Prof. Valentyna Ushchyna, Chair of the English Philology Department, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, Lutsk, Ukraine

This edited book is an innovative collection of studies exploring the various features of modern day political oratory in a number of Western and non-Western countries. It brings together a team of distinguished group of communication researchers, linguistics, and social & political psychologists to address issues related to the evolution of modern oratory in politics with a special attention paid to the way politicians’ arguments and rhetorical appeals have changed over time i.e., their shifting speaking style and frames when communicating with the masses. Each chapter in this volume examines the specific historical, social, and cultural forces that shaped and determined present-day oratory in a particular country over the past several decades. The chapters offer a global analysis of modern political rhetoric in societies from West to East, developing a framework to assess the role and effect of communication in contemporary politics. Scholars of communication, rhetoric, modern history, and political behavior will find this book of particular interest.

This anthology of studies is a follow-up to Political Humor Worldwide: The Cultural Context of Political Comedy, Satire, and Parody. It further examines political humor as a distinct sub-discipline of political communication, influenced and shaped by a country’s culture. The book’s contributors, experts drawn from the academic fields of political science, communication, linguistics, sociology, culture studies, political psychology, and others, offer an assortment of studies from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Focusing on political humor in the media, the authors offer a panorama of political humor—including political satire, parody, and cartooning—in Spain, Poland, Montenegro, Turkey, Japan, Australia, Iran, Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, and Indonesia, among others. They detail political humor’s multifaceted and versatile nature, suggesting that national culture and political humor expressed in the news media are intertwined; thus, understanding political humor requires looking at the cultural landscape of a given country or society. The book helps readers to better understand the factors that shape political humor across the globe in a variety of political and media systems.

This anthology of studies is a follow-up to Political Humor Worldwide: The Cultural Context of Political Comedy, Satire, and Parody. It further examines political humor as a distinct sub-discipline of political communication, influenced and shaped by a country’s culture. The book’s contributors, experts drawn from the academic fields of political science, communication, linguistics, sociology, culture studies, political psychology, and others, offer an assortment of studies from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Focusing on political humor in the media, the authors offer a panorama of political humor—including political satire, parody, and cartooning—in Spain, Poland, Montenegro, Turkey, Japan, Australia, Iran, Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, and Indonesia, among others. They detail political humor’s multifaceted and versatile nature, suggesting that national culture and political humor expressed in the news media are intertwined; thus, understanding political humor requires looking at the cultural landscape of a given country or society. The book helps readers to better understand the factors that shape political humor across the globe in a variety of political and media systems.

This book presents a collection of studies related to populism in contemporary political discourse. Following growing scholarly interest in the topic, this volume offers a wide panorama on the discursive construction of populism across the political spectrum worldwide. International experts from different backgrounds provide a comprehensive analysis of populist communication in present-day politics. Each chapter in the book constitutes a case study from a different country, altogether offering a global perspective on the construction of populism in political discourse. In particular, the book presents studies from fourteen different countries across the globe: Belgium, France, Spain, the United States of America, Portugal, Montenegro, Italy, Ghana, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Japan, Russia, Poland, and Israel. Here, readers can (1) get acquainted with discourse on populism in the media; (2) have access to ample descriptions of populist communication strategies across frontiers; (3)explore populist discourse by contemporary societies’ well-known political leaders from different countries; and (4) examine the intertwining of populism, policymaking, and religion. Rooted in different frameworks, the various chapters offer a comprehensive understanding of the complex phenomenon of populism. The volume also enables the reader to globally grasp similarities and differences in the way populist discourse is built from West to East. International and interdisciplinary approaches form the cornerstone of this volume that will appeal to scholars from diverse academic backgrounds.

This book presents a collection of studies related to populism in contemporary political discourse. Following growing scholarly interest in the topic, this volume offers a wide panorama on the discursive construction of populism across the political spectrum worldwide. International experts from different backgrounds provide a comprehensive analysis of populist communication in present-day politics. Each chapter in the book constitutes a case study from a different country, altogether offering a global perspective on the construction of populism in political discourse. In particular, the book presents studies from fourteen different countries across the globe: Belgium, France, Spain, the United States of America, Portugal, Montenegro, Italy, Ghana, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Japan, Russia, Poland, and Israel. Here, readers can (1) get acquainted with discourse on populism in the media; (2) have access to ample descriptions of populist communication strategies across frontiers; (3)explore populist discourse by contemporary societies’ well-known political leaders from different countries; and (4) examine the intertwining of populism, policymaking, and religion. Rooted in different frameworks, the various chapters offer a comprehensive understanding of the complex phenomenon of populism. The volume also enables the reader to globally grasp similarities and differences in the way populist discourse is built from West to East. International and interdisciplinary approaches form the cornerstone of this volume that will appeal to scholars from diverse academic backgrounds.

This edited collection of studies brings together a number of internationally distinguished scholars to provide a comprehensive and detailed examination of the usage and function of quotations and citations in political rhetoric in a variety of countries around the globe, including North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Chapters consider quotations and citations as important (at times unavoidable) elements of argumentative and persuasive speech (and writing). They examine quotations, on the one hand, as forms of a direct way of providing evidence to support the speaker’s (or writer’s) arguments, statements, or assumptions, that their speech (or writing) is within an already established larger claim, enabling them to say (or write) something about it with authority. On the other hand, chapters maintain that quotations and citations can be also used as a powerful device to refute them. That is, the speaker will quote something in order to knock it down i.e., use it as a springboard to express doubts regarding the original utterance, to criticize, disagree, or ridicule the speaker, or to present the contradictory position. Contributions to this volume explore aspects related to the manner such quotations take place, the forms and genres of rhetoric that they enable, and their effect, as an important topic for political and social psychologists, as well as for communication and linguistics researchers who are interested in the study of the nature of contemporary politics. With only a handful studies systematically considering such aspects of political rhetoric and behavior, this anthology aims to bridge the gap in this area’s scholarly knowledge, while delving into central features of political communication and persuasion and their effect in present-day societies.

This edited collection of studies brings together a number of internationally distinguished scholars to provide a comprehensive and detailed examination of the usage and function of quotations and citations in political rhetoric in a variety of countries around the globe, including North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Chapters consider quotations and citations as important (at times unavoidable) elements of argumentative and persuasive speech (and writing). They examine quotations, on the one hand, as forms of a direct way of providing evidence to support the speaker’s (or writer’s) arguments, statements, or assumptions, that their speech (or writing) is within an already established larger claim, enabling them to say (or write) something about it with authority. On the other hand, chapters maintain that quotations and citations can be also used as a powerful device to refute them. That is, the speaker will quote something in order to knock it down i.e., use it as a springboard to express doubts regarding the original utterance, to criticize, disagree, or ridicule the speaker, or to present the contradictory position. Contributions to this volume explore aspects related to the manner such quotations take place, the forms and genres of rhetoric that they enable, and their effect, as an important topic for political and social psychologists, as well as for communication and linguistics researchers who are interested in the study of the nature of contemporary politics. With only a handful studies systematically considering such aspects of political rhetoric and behavior, this anthology aims to bridge the gap in this area’s scholarly knowledge, while delving into central features of political communication and persuasion and their effect in present-day societies.

This edited book is an innovative collection of studies—pioneering scholarship systematically exploring the various features of debasement language used by political leaders in their speeches, statements, and remarks during parliamentary and other official as well as unofficial, private activities. The book examines in particular the forms, functions, and effects of political debasement in Western and non-Western countries, including Spain, Malaysia, the UK, Japan, China, India, Montenegro, Greece, Poland, and Israel. It addresses the growing interest in recent years in issues related to the increase of debasement in the public sphere. These include high-echelon politicians’ invective and vulgarity toward their colleagues in houses of parliament; their abusive and cynical language toward sections of the public, including women and minorities; and their crude sarcasm and irony expressed toward media representatives. The book focuses on those instances where political leaders at the very highest-level employ debasement discourse; it identifies the specific language they use in different political cultures and under different situations; the reasons for using this type of language; and its consequences. The book brings together a team of distinguished political scientists, communication and linguistics researchers, and social and political psychologists, with expert backgrounds and experience in understanding the reciprocal interaction between language and politics, in this case: debasement. They discuss and provide a number of novel insights of theoretical and practical importance regarding debasing discourse, as well as potential avenues for future research on the nature and effect of this type of language.

This edited book is an innovative collection of studies—pioneering scholarship systematically exploring the various features of debasement language used by political leaders in their speeches, statements, and remarks during parliamentary and other official as well as unofficial, private activities. The book examines in particular the forms, functions, and effects of political debasement in Western and non-Western countries, including Spain, Malaysia, the UK, Japan, China, India, Montenegro, Greece, Poland, and Israel. It addresses the growing interest in recent years in issues related to the increase of debasement in the public sphere. These include high-echelon politicians’ invective and vulgarity toward their colleagues in houses of parliament; their abusive and cynical language toward sections of the public, including women and minorities; and their crude sarcasm and irony expressed toward media representatives. The book focuses on those instances where political leaders at the very highest-level employ debasement discourse; it identifies the specific language they use in different political cultures and under different situations; the reasons for using this type of language; and its consequences. The book brings together a team of distinguished political scientists, communication and linguistics researchers, and social and political psychologists, with expert backgrounds and experience in understanding the reciprocal interaction between language and politics, in this case: debasement. They discuss and provide a number of novel insights of theoretical and practical importance regarding debasing discourse, as well as potential avenues for future research on the nature and effect of this type of language.

This book is a companion to Political Debasement: Incivility, Contempt, and Humiliation in Parliamentary and Public Discourse. It brings together interdisciplinary contributions to provide a comprehensive and detailed exploration of the nature, function, and effect of debasement language used by selected political leaders in Western and non-Western countries. Among them are Donald Trump (in the USA), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkey), Rodrigo Roa Duterte (Philippines), Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil), Abe Shinzô (Japan), Pauline Hanson (Australia), Kyriakos Mitsotakis (Greece), Geert Wilders (the Netherlands), Beppe Grillo (Italy), and Santiago Abascal (Spain). Chapters focus specifically on the language of these leaders while examining debasement discourse from narrow and broad perspectives. The former includes the use of crude or abusive language (e.g., curses, obscenity, and swearing) to demean, humiliate, mock, insult, or belittle, based on the actual or perceived object or entity (e.g., race, religion, national, gender identity, or sexual orientation); the latter includes the use of devious or indirect irony, sarcasm, cynicism, ridicule, subtlety, and understatement to degrade and discredit other individuals or groups. The book represents the collective wisdom of scholars and researchers, experts in fields such as communication, political science, international relations, and social and political psychology. Cumulatively, the authors develop a global analysis of debasement discourse in societies from West to East and offer a cutting-edge approach to expand a framework assessing the role and effect of such rhetoric in contemporary politics.

This book is a companion to Political Debasement: Incivility, Contempt, and Humiliation in Parliamentary and Public Discourse. It brings together interdisciplinary contributions to provide a comprehensive and detailed exploration of the nature, function, and effect of debasement language used by selected political leaders in Western and non-Western countries. Among them are Donald Trump (in the USA), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkey), Rodrigo Roa Duterte (Philippines), Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil), Abe Shinzô (Japan), Pauline Hanson (Australia), Kyriakos Mitsotakis (Greece), Geert Wilders (the Netherlands), Beppe Grillo (Italy), and Santiago Abascal (Spain). Chapters focus specifically on the language of these leaders while examining debasement discourse from narrow and broad perspectives. The former includes the use of crude or abusive language (e.g., curses, obscenity, and swearing) to demean, humiliate, mock, insult, or belittle, based on the actual or perceived object or entity (e.g., race, religion, national, gender identity, or sexual orientation); the latter includes the use of devious or indirect irony, sarcasm, cynicism, ridicule, subtlety, and understatement to degrade and discredit other individuals or groups. The book represents the collective wisdom of scholars and researchers, experts in fields such as communication, political science, international relations, and social and political psychology. Cumulatively, the authors develop a global analysis of debasement discourse in societies from West to East and offer a cutting-edge approach to expand a framework assessing the role and effect of such rhetoric in contemporary politics.

This book presents a new approach to the analysis of political psychology, political culture, and communication.Using data from Japanese political interviews and parliamentary deliberations, it reveals how Japanese politicians address their audience. In addition to analyzing the use of verbal political rhetoric, the book shows that nonverbal communication is highly relevant as well. In a context where political leaders are becoming increasingly important, identifying the techniques used by Japanese politicians – especially facial expressions, hand gestures, and other forms of body language – to gain support from the audience, leads us to consider communication practices of political leaders around the world. Politicians adopt different communication styles based on their specific electoral system. The more single-seat constituency political candidates use rhetoric, the greater their chance of appealing to voters. In addition, the use of personal experiencesand others' speech quotations function as effective political rhetoric, further attracting the audience’s attention. In short, this book presents a more comprehensive and holistic picture of political “rhetoric” than usually offered by other studies of political communication.

This book presents a new approach to the analysis of political psychology, political culture, and communication.Using data from Japanese political interviews and parliamentary deliberations, it reveals how Japanese politicians address their audience. In addition to analyzing the use of verbal political rhetoric, the book shows that nonverbal communication is highly relevant as well. In a context where political leaders are becoming increasingly important, identifying the techniques used by Japanese politicians – especially facial expressions, hand gestures, and other forms of body language – to gain support from the audience, leads us to consider communication practices of political leaders around the world. Politicians adopt different communication styles based on their specific electoral system. The more single-seat constituency political candidates use rhetoric, the greater their chance of appealing to voters. In addition, the use of personal experiencesand others' speech quotations function as effective political rhetoric, further attracting the audience’s attention. In short, this book presents a more comprehensive and holistic picture of political “rhetoric” than usually offered by other studies of political communication.

The goal of this book is to show the role of TikTok as a tool for political purposes. To this end, the authors analyse the messages posted on this social medium by political figures and institutions such as politicians and political parties, their impact on political landscapes, as well as the transformation of political communication techniques in order to suit the platform’s features. In the last two years, the exponential growth of TikTok has led an increasing number of politicians and institutions to incorporate it into their communication strategies. The platform displays some very different features from other social media that determine the way in which the content is presented. In addition, it manages to reach an audience that normally does not access or share political messages.Within this context, the volume pursues two main objectives. First, to examine how the communication techniques and the peculiarities of this social medium – where short videos with actors in informal attitudes prevail – affect the political message. A second objective is to analyse the influence of the messages distributed through TikTok that redefine political scenarios, and of the relationships of politicians and parties with voters. The core of the book comprises case studies that are organised into three parts, with nine chapters in all.The authors are scholars and practitioners of political communication, with diverse geographical representation, who approach the topics from a range of methodological perspectives. The first part addresses the state of the art and the influence of TikTok features on the way political communication is performed. The second part discusses the influence of TikTok on electoral scenarios and political culture in India, Bangladesh, the United States, and Ecuador. Finally, in the third part, TikTok is analysed as an instrument for promoting far right politicians and parties in Europe, as in the case of MatteoSalvini in Italy, and AfD in Germany and Vox in Spain.The volume is oriented to both scholars and communication professionals, such as journalists, communication consultants, and speechwriters, who want to become familiar with the platform, learn about its political impact, or wish to deepen their understanding of transformations in communication techniques and their adaptation to this growing social medium.Chapter 2 “The Moving Body as the Articulator, Meme and Affective Link in Political Communication on TikTok” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

The goal of this book is to show the role of TikTok as a tool for political purposes. To this end, the authors analyse the messages posted on this social medium by political figures and institutions such as politicians and political parties, their impact on political landscapes, as well as the transformation of political communication techniques in order to suit the platform’s features. In the last two years, the exponential growth of TikTok has led an increasing number of politicians and institutions to incorporate it into their communication strategies. The platform displays some very different features from other social media that determine the way in which the content is presented. In addition, it manages to reach an audience that normally does not access or share political messages.Within this context, the volume pursues two main objectives. First, to examine how the communication techniques and the peculiarities of this social medium – where short videos with actors in informal attitudes prevail – affect the political message. A second objective is to analyse the influence of the messages distributed through TikTok that redefine political scenarios, and of the relationships of politicians and parties with voters. The core of the book comprises case studies that are organised into three parts, with nine chapters in all.The authors are scholars and practitioners of political communication, with diverse geographical representation, who approach the topics from a range of methodological perspectives. The first part addresses the state of the art and the influence of TikTok features on the way political communication is performed. The second part discusses the influence of TikTok on electoral scenarios and political culture in India, Bangladesh, the United States, and Ecuador. Finally, in the third part, TikTok is analysed as an instrument for promoting far right politicians and parties in Europe, as in the case of MatteoSalvini in Italy, and AfD in Germany and Vox in Spain.The volume is oriented to both scholars and communication professionals, such as journalists, communication consultants, and speechwriters, who want to become familiar with the platform, learn about its political impact, or wish to deepen their understanding of transformations in communication techniques and their adaptation to this growing social medium.Chapter 2 “The Moving Body as the Articulator, Meme and Affective Link in Political Communication on TikTok” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This collection of original chapters reflects the increasing interest over the past few decades in the relationship between political humor (as a distinct form of political discourse) and a country’s culture: Beliefs, values, norms, institutions, and processes that are affected, shaped by, and related to historical experiences, socialization processes, social structure, religion, the economic system, and majority/minority relations. Written by contributors from various fields of study – political science, communication, linguistics, sociology, culture studies, and political psychology – the book looks at the central role played by “culture” in shaping and affecting the sundry aspects of political humor, including satire and parody. The chapters, focusing on diverse countries such as the USA, UK, Greece, Philippines, Israel, Poland, Italy, and Spain, as well as ethnic groups, offer a comprehensive overview of political humor as used by public figures, including politicians, artists, performers, as well as comedians, talk shows hosts and the general public. By presenting fresh perspectives on the relationship between culture and political humor as employed during political debates in parliament, in media interviews and shows, on the internet and in art, the book opens up new avenues for discussion regarding the factors that shape political humor across the globe in a variety of political and media systems.