Two registers of actual political speech in modern Bulgarian media discourse

Abstract

Media speech reflects most vividly problems in the functioning of language and ongoing processes in speech practice. That is why in its mirror we often examine the speech of politicians which is directly related to the main trends in speech practice — intellectualization and democratization of speech. To designate the two styles of political discourse, the article introduces two terminological phrases — Brussels newspeak and populist rhetoric. The Brussels newspeak — one of the styles in today's Bulgarian political communication — is in accordance with the process of intellectualization. A vivid expression of the process of democratization of speech is populist political discourse. The main characteristics of these styles are given. The competition between the two styles of political talk is based on a delicate balance in the political space. In the media field, there is a struggle between the participants in the conflict to make public think in the coordinate system of their concepts, understandings and values. These styles polarize and weaken public attitudes towards the verbal and nonverbal behavior of political actors and they are a serious challenge for journalists who must daily make choices as to whether to reflect an authentic political speech or abide by ethical journalistic standards and seek the truth.