Presentation of the Political Self

Abstract

This study focuses on the presentation of political self in electoral media dialogue. The situated event of a presidential election forces the politician to construct an identity of president-to-be and therefore to create a persuasive relationship with the public hoping to have the perlocutionary effect of voting. The notion of commitment is defined from the intersubjective perspective as the accountability of the words and actions towards the co-participant. It manifests itself in the discursive positioning of the speaker in subjectifying expressions of commitment. The data analyzed are from a TV debate held in France in 2007 when two presidential candidates, Ségolène Royal and Nicholas Sarkozy, were elected for the second round. In her talk, Royal constructs a presentation of political self as an expert in social and political matters, whereas Sarkozy focuses mostly on his personal qualities that demonstrate he will be a reliable future president.