MYTHS AND MYTHOLOGY IN PRESIDENTIAL DISCOURSE
MYTHS AND MYTHOLOGY IN PRESIDENTIAL DISCOURSE
Author(s): Adina BotașSubject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Applied Linguistics
Published by: Universitatea »1 Decembrie 1918« Alba Iulia
Keywords: Presidential discourse; myths; mythology; cultural imaginary; cognitive linguistics;
Summary/Abstract: Knowledge about how the world works exists in our cultural imaginary since mythical times. Ideas of good and bad behaviour, as well as biases surrounding concepts and social issues, are intrinsic to language and are manifested in discourse. Political discourse is a popular example in this respect. This paper is an exercise of discourse analysis highlighting several key aspects of myths and mythology identified in the speeches of the finalists to the most recent presidential elections in the USA (2016), France (2017) and Romania (2019), in direct or remote interaction. From a cognitive linguistic point of view, the mythical parole causes a shift in a person’s conceptual system by creating similarity between two aspects that have not been previously perceived to be similar. On the endless path of the quest for meaning, stopping to take a look and explain certain situations by appeal to myth and its presence in presidential discourse is certainly an interesting investigation.
Journal: Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Philologica
- Issue Year: 21/2020
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 228-234
- Page Count: 7
- Language: English