THE USE OF FIRST PERSON PRONOUNS BY HILLARY CLINTON AND DONALD TRUMP IN US 2016 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES =

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Persuasive speaking is always a dreamt soft skill for many people but it is definitely a daunting task to master it. In order to grasp the attention of the public, good speakers often practise certain speaking strategies in their speech. One of the jobs that require effective speaking strategies is being a politician who usually has to convince the audience of their policies. Therefore, many linguistic aspects of speeches by well-known politicians have been investigated, one of which is the use of pronouns. Aiming at clarifying unpopular referents and functions of first person pronouns and helping people to use such pronouns effectively, the researcher carried out the research: “The use of first person pronouns by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in US 2016 presidential debates”. In order to find out the answers for proposed research questions, the researcher looked into the transcripts of three presidential debates in which Clinton and Trump participated in the role of debaters. First person pronouns in such debates were collected and analyzed. The results of the study show different tendencies to use first person pronouns by two examined speakers. While Clinton preferred singular forms of first person pronouns, Trump chose plural forms more frequently. Moreover, it was discovered that first person pronouns can be inferred in different ways. The singular forms can refer to the speaker as a person, as a politician or as the former First Lady (in the case of Clinton). The plural forms, on the other hand, point at the speakers and other party such as the nation, the speaker and the audience, the speaker and their political party. When using singular forms of first person pronouns, the debaters can express their personal opinions easily and display their good qualities as a politician; otherwise, with plural pronouns, speakers can increase the involvement of the audience in the debate or share responsibility with other members of their political party.