美国总统大选辩论中的身份建构与解构——以2016年总统候选人希拉里·克林顿为例

The Construction and Deconstruction of Identity in the Debateof American Presidential Election——Take 2016 Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton

在言语交际中,交际者不仅可以通过言语行为建构自己的身份,还可以对对方建构的身份进行解构。文章以2016年美国总统大选三场电视辩论为语料,探讨了在辩论中希拉里自我建构的身份以及对手特朗普对希拉里身份的解构。研究表明,希拉里在辩论中主要建构了亲民和积极进取的个人身份以及精明能干的精英政治家身份,而竞选对手特朗普则通过对希拉里人品、能力的质疑,对希拉里以往政绩的否定以及对希拉里未来从政构想的不看好,解构了希拉里自我建构的身份。交际具有目的性和意图性,身份的建构和解构是希拉里和特朗普意在赢得更多美国选民支持进而赢得大选的手段之一。

In verbal communication, the communicators can not only construct his own identity through speech acts, but also deconstruct the identity constructed by the other party. Based on three televised debates in the 2016 US presidential election, this paper explores Hillary's self-constructed identity and her opponent Trump's deconstruction of Hillary's identity. It is found that Hillary mainly constructed an approachable and positive identity at the personal level and an intelligent and competent elite politician identity in the debate, while Trump, however, deconstructed Hillary’s self-constructed identity by questioning Hillary’s moral character and competence, denying her previous achievements in her political career and holding an unfavorable view of Hillary’s future political plan. Communication is purposeful and intentional, and the construction and deconstruction of identity is one of the means by which Hillary and Trump aimed to win the support of more American voters and thus win the presidential election.