Language and Politics

    The majority of the posts on this blog look at the language of politics and politicians. While the writers on this blog approach this broad and multifaceted topic in a number of ways, the most common is 'Corpus Linguistics'.
     Corpus linguistics is a method of statistically analysing large bodies of texts. This is done using software which analyses texts you put into it. For example, if you put in all the speeches given by Tony Blair between 1995 and the 1997 election, it will give you a plethora of information about his word choices, which words appear together, where in speeches they appear, and which speeches they appear in.
     This can then be done comparatively: you can put a collection of Barack Obama's speeches from 2006-2009 into the software, along with a collection of his speeches from 2010-2012, and the software will provide a statistical comparison. It will also take into account any differences in the volume of these two sets of speeches.


     On its own, this is all very dull and technical. However, by using these statistics and analysing them using particular methods and skills, a good corpus linguist can trace the character and beliefs of a politician, as expressed in their speeches. This, we hope, will provide fascinating insights into the thoughts and tactics of the world's leading political actors.


     Great orators have always dominated public life. Even those who claim not to be orators have used this act of being 'plain and honest' as a powerful technique in their speeches. Democracy moves on the words, as much of the actions, of such statesmen and stateswomen; and even in today's multimedia world, few mediums are more powerful than the politician at their lectern.