Trump supporters aren’t brainwashed by the Republican’s candidates “illogical” lies — they're listening to a different conversation altogether.
Much has been made of Donald Trump’s use of language in the 2016 presidential campaign. A recent FP piece even uses linguistic theory to explain his rise. But the authors incorrectly diagnose the complex language play through which Trump constructs his audiences and message. That leads them to echo a refrain of liberal political commentators — namely, that Trump’s supporters blindly adhere to illogical and false conclusions about the world.
More measured linguistic analysis reveals that Trump supporters often explicitly reject the literal meanings of his speech, attending instead to what he indexes or connotes. Trump uses hyperbole, humor, hedging, and repair to take stands — both for or against certain general political programs (immigration, trade deals), but more importantly against certain kinds of scornful elite discourse that belittle those supporters. Understanding that complex conversation, rather than dismissing it out of hand, can help us not only better comprehend the Trump phenomenon but also see why the rest of the world is so flummoxed by his verbiage...
(Excerpt) Read more at foreignpolicy.com ...
