Positive Politeness Strategies in the 2020 US Candidate Presidential Debate: Factors Influencing Their Use
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/bej.2023.5Keywords:
politeness, strategies, factors influence, presidential debateAbstract
The United States presidential debate has gained global attention as a critical moment for both candidates to gain support from their electorates. One effective way candidates follow to attract voters is to use positive politeness strategies, which help create a positive impression. Drawing on Brown and Levinson's theory, this study examines the positive politeness strategies used by presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden during the final presidential debate at Belmont University in 2020. The data for this study were extracted from a video of the debate that was uploaded on YouTube by ‘USA Today.’ The results of this study indicate that both candidates employed positive politeness strategies to varying degrees. These strategies included increasing the interlocutor's interest, using identity markers to establish a sense of belonging, seeking agreement, offering eager audience promises, being optimistic, involving both speakers and the pro-active audience in an interactive discourse, providing or asking for reasons, and giving a positive vibe to the audience. The study revealed that the use of these strategies was influenced by various factors such as the relative power of the interlocutors, social distance, and the level of imposition.
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