CORPUS-BASED GENRE ANALYSIS OF DONALD TRUMP AND JOE BIDEN'S INAUGURAL SPEECHES

Abstract

This study examines the linguistic dimensions of inaugural speeches by Donald Trump (2017) and Joe Biden (2021) using corpus-based multidimensional analysis (MDA) within Biber’s (1988) framework. the research examines how various linguistic features co-occur to reflect the communicative purposes and rhetorical strategies of political discourse. The Multidimensional Analysis Tagger is employed to analyze Six key dimensions of linguistic variation are examined: involvement vs. informational production, narrative vs. non-narrative discourse, explicit vs. situation-dependent reference, overt expression of persuasion, abstract vs. concrete discourse, and formality. The findings show contrasting styles: Trump’s speech is informational (-D1: -3.21), non-narrative (-D2: -2.87), abstract (D4: 4.12), and overtly persuasive (D5: 3.76), reflecting a transactional leadership style. Biden’s speech emphasizes involvement (D1: 6.89), narrative strategies (-D2: -0.78), and balanced abstraction (D4: 2.14), with subtle persuasion (-D5: -2.63), focusing on unity and emotional resonance. The findings suggest that Trump’s speech focuses on formal clarity, information, and direct persuasion while Biden’s speech strives for unity and emotional resonance through balanced, inclusive rhetoric. The study also emphasizes the usefulness of multidimensional analysis in examining genre-specific linguistic strategies in political Discourse. Future research may explore other political speeches and genres to further examine the relationship between linguistic variation and political discourse.