Between front-stage and backstage: the usage of the familiar pronouns of address in the French and Polish political media discourse Cover Image

Entre la scène et les coulisses : du tutoiement dans le discours politique médiatisé français et polonais
Between front-stage and backstage: the usage of the familiar pronouns of address in the French and Polish political media discourse

Author(s): Monika Kostro
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Media studies, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Politics and communication
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: political media discourse; forms of address; familiar pronouns of address

Summary/Abstract: The repertoire of forms of address can be considered as one of the determinants of the discourse genre, which makes it possible to capture its evolution and cultural variations. From such comparative, intra- and intercultural perspective, adopting an interactive approach in the analysis of political discourse, we will look at the practice of addressing one another in the French and Polish politicalmedia discourse. While in both languages the linguistic norm recommends the use of the polite forms of address in official situations, the cases of the use of the familiar pronoun tu / ty in media interactions between politicians are not rare at all. Whether it is an informal talk of politicians caught by the media, a television pre-election debate, or a meeting of the heads of state, addressing the other person by the familiar forms is a manifestation of a deliberate blurring of the boundaries between the front-stage and backstage in political discourse in order to create the impression of intimacy and equality between the interlocutors.

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: 30
  • Page Range: 148-159
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: French