Des mots pour des voix. 132 discours pour devenir president de la Republique francaise

In: Revue française de science politique, Band 58, Heft 3, S. 433-455

Abstract

Lexical analysis of the speeches given by the four major candidates for the French presidency in 2007 is analyzed here. Their vocabulary, themes & sentence construction show their style & communication strategies. Particular emphasis is given to the two finalists. Most important themes in S. Royal's campaign were: "presidential program," "status of work," defense of "public services." N. Sarkozy gave priority to "purchasing power," history of France, & "national identity," choosing not to mention his opponents' names. For Royal, politics means "moral responsibility" & "ability to rule," whereas for Sarkozy it means "self belief" & "will." Lastly, S. Royal's sentences are much longer & more complex, but the vocabulary does not vary according to the theme. N. Sarkozy uses very short sentences which he often repeats, & the vocabulary is specific to the subject he is dealing with. Tables, Graphs. Adapted from the source document.