Personality Factor in Presidential Addresses
The article explores a factor of personality through scrutinizing the frequency of linguistic means selected by the speaker. After reviewing the research papers devoted to presidential addresses, the author concentrates on appeals to the audience, made by А. G. Lukashenko, V. V. Putin, and D. A. Medvedev, in order to examine their differences. A special attention is given to the use of pronouns “I” and “we”. The study reveals the status and the distribution of the personal pronouns, as well as the verbs and the short adjectives frequently used with them. The author compiles semantic “clouds” out of 100 most frequently used nouns, and chooses 10 of them for special scrutiny. Having analyzed the selected material in three aspects, the author concludes that the individual choice of appeal form in the addresses (uneven distribution of the personal pronouns or the focus on the noun) is very subjective and reflects the personal features of a political leader.