The Political Speeches of Kamala Harris: a Linguistic Analysis

This dissertation presents features of political speeches, some background of Kamala Harris, an analysis of three of her political speeches and the method by which it is made. The purpose of this study is to show that language is a principal means of achieving and exercising power in politics. I argue that pronominal choice in political discourse reflects differences in the way in which speakers present themselves with respect to other individuals and groups in the political arena and in relation to the situation that is being discussed. In addition, I use analytical tools for investigating how Harris expresses emotions, judgments and evaluations giving interesting insights into the rhetorical organization of the text. The findings indicated that there is a connection between language and politics and that quite often, while giving a political speech, Kamala Harris makes knowledge more accessible to any kind of audience; her speeches mainly contribute to reinforce her ideologies through the power of language in the field of politics.