A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MEN’S AND WOMEN ’S LINGUISTIC FEATURES USED BY DONALD TRUMP AND KAMALA HARRIS IN THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 2024

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Published: 2026-08-11
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21894527
Keywords:
Linguistic Features, Presidential Debate, Men’s Linguistic Features, Women’s Linguistic Features

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Aliyyah Imanda Rizky Deviana
Universitas Airlangga

Abstract

Certain linguistic features are often associated with specific genders and may characterize gendered language use. This study aims to identify the similarities and differences in the linguistic features used by Donald Trump and Kamala Harris during the 2024 U.S. Presidential Debate to reveal how gendered features are adapted and balanced in a political context. This study focuses on the utterances of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Using a qualitative approach, the writer employed Coates's (2016) theory of linguistic features to analyze the debate transcript. The results reveal similarities between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Among 6 out of 7 types of linguistic features were used by both, namely minimal responses, hedges, questions, commands and directives, compliments, and swearing and taboo language. The differences can be seen in the use of one linguistic feature: tag questions. Tag questions were used only by Donald Trump, while Kamala Harris did not use this feature at all. The findings imply that linguistic features can no longer be strictly classified based on gender. In political debates, politicians, regardless of gender, tend to adapt and balance their linguistic features according to the demands of the debate context.

Article Details

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Vol. 13 No. 4 (2026): Argopuro: Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa, ISSN 2988-6309

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Articles

How to Cite

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MEN’S AND WOMEN ’S LINGUISTIC FEATURES USED BY DONALD TRUMP AND KAMALA HARRIS IN THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 2024. (2026). Argopuro: Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21894527

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