Trump and Harris vocabularies signal their different frames of mind

By Patricia Friedrich, Vice Provost and Professor of Sociolinguistics, Arizona State University

In their campaigns, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris project different emotions and moods. The contrast between them was particularly sharp during their debate on Sept. 10, 2024.

One candidate made appeals to the past, used more negative words and invoked fear. The other spoke more of the future, used more positive words and appealed to voters’ sense of hope.

As a linguist, writer and professor who teaches mostly sociolinguistics – how language operates…

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