A Critical Stylistic Analysis of Linguistic Hegemony in Media Discourse

Abstract

   The study  uses the critical stylistics concept presented by Lesley Jeffries (2010) to analyze how media discourse can construct social portrayals and enforce language hegemony in the media by the depiction of a figure as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. As part of the discussion, the research uses analytical tools like naming and describing, transitivity analysis, modality, and evaluation to common news coverage and political commentary to show how these news outlets have a subdued influence on the thinking of the general public. The informal style of Trump, which is still populist, is often portrayed as something sincere but erroneous, the media meeting his simplicity with the issue of his right to be president. On the other hand, formal and controlled language used by Harris is proposed as polished, but sometimes overcalculated, which helps to unveil the impact of gendered and racialized norms on political speech. Such opposing images form conflicting notions of credibility, authority, and relatability as they support linguistic hierarchies. The study  highlights the role of language, power, and ideology in media language and how the interactions affect the population opinion of political leaders. In addition, the study reflects the current debate on media framing and political communication with the focus on how media discourse perpetuates or constitutes political legitimacy.