Peculiarities of television debates as a type of speech interaction

Abstract

The article contains the analysis of basic communicative strategies employed by the participants of TV debates, a type of political discourse. The study was conducted using the videos of the Trump — Clinton debate during the 2016 US presidential campaign. The major principles of building of a political dialogue of this type were singled out by means of a linguistic analysis, showmanship, competiveness and personification which are the top characteristics of this type of discourse. The article illustrates different types of turn-taking, shows the difference between turns and backchannels, simple overlaps and deliberate interruptions of a partner. However, the choice of turn-taking type is not random. It depends on the strategic planning of the candidates, who view it as a means to project their personality as well as their political programme onto the audience. Thus, the dual nature of discourse is highlighted: a dialogue between the candidates and the dialogue with the audience. The communicative strategies chosen by the politicians are viewed by the author as a means of influencing the opponent and the electorate in general, one of them being denigrating the opponent with the aim to create a more beneficial personal profile. In the end, the author suggests using the conclusions made in teaching oratory and effective public speaking techniques to students.