‘We Are Going to Do a Lot of Things for College Tuition’: Vague Language in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Debates

Abstract

The present study investigates the frequency and functions of vague expressions (e.g. something, sort of) used in the 2016 U.S. presidential debates by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The data under scrutiny include transcripts of the televised debates (42,137 words). The study reveals that, while Trump’s speech is less lexically varied than Clinton’s, it contains a noticeably greater number of vague expressions. Trump’s tendency to use more instances of vague language is most evident in the categories of ‘vague boosters’ (e.g. very), ‘vague estimators’ (e.g. many), ‘vague nouns’ (e.g. things) and ‘vague extenders’ (e.g. and other places). Clinton, however, more frequently uses ‘vague subjectivisers’ (e.g. I think) and ‘vague possibility indicators’ (e.g. would). The differences observed may be attributed to the personal and professional backgrounds of the candidates and to the different communicative purposes they seek to achieve.