The case of Pete Buttigieg

A corpus-based discourse analytic study of gay identity construction in political speech

Bibliographic Data

ID3083676
AuthorsMikhail Zaikovskii (Arizona State University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume14
Issue1
Pages31-66
Publication date2025-02-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Language and Sexuality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2211-3770 • E-ISSN: 2211-3789
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/jls.00040.zai
OpenAlexW4407106489
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited32

The research focuses on the construction of gay identity in political speech, with particular attention to Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay US presidential candidate. During Buttigieg's 2020 Presidential campaign, his sexuality received significant attention and sparked controversial reactions. This study employs the combination of Corpus Linguistics (CL) and Discourse Analysis as a fruitful approach for analyzing the formation of identity through language. By combining CL with qualitative inquiries, the study highlights the benefits of triangulation and cross-fertilization of methods that are typically used in isolation. The focus corpus, utilized for identifying keywords and major thematic groups, consists of excerpts from Buttigieg's political speeches and interviews. Furthermore, the study employs Co-cultural theory to examine the communicative strategies used by Buttigieg in his LGBTQ+-specific political discourses. Buttigieg's strategies include Emphasizing Commonalities, Mirroring, Communicating Self, Dispelling Stereotypes, Dissociating, and Increasing Visibility, each representing different approaches to identity construction through language. In addition to shedding light on the unique aspects of gay identity construction in political discourse, this research contributes to a better understanding of the electorate's dissatisfaction with Buttigieg's campaign, especially among non-heteronormative individuals

Art · Media Studies and Communication

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