Research On Frame Theory In The US Presidential Debates

The US presidential debates have become the focal point of presidential campaignsand have sometimes been the decisive factor in determining the winner of thepresidential election. Therefore, how to win the debates and public support through theiruse of language in the debates is of prime importance to candidates. This thesis intends toexplore the application of frame theory in the US presidential debates, so as to makesome contribution to the analysis of presidential debates and language use in the debates.Based on the frame theory, this study adopts both quantitative analysis andqualitative description. With US presidential debates in2000and2004as research data,this thesis explores the application of frame theory in the US presidential debates fromthe perspectives of cognitive frame, semantic frame and interactional frame. Thisresearch aims to find out how presidential candidates conduct framing, frame-shiftingand communication with the audience through the employment of these three kinds offrames, so as to win the voters’ support.Research findings are inspiring. The study shows that in the US presidential debatesof2000and2004, compared with Gore and Kerry, Bush is good at using frames to servefor his views and policies, which contribute to his higher public approval ratings after thedebates and final victory in the presidential campaign. In terms of cognitive frame, itplays an important role in framing. Appropriate use of metaphorical thinking in framingensures the firmness of frame in the mind of the public, but also guarantees the dominantposition of debaters in the process of discussing relevant subjects. However, some wordsor syntactic patterns, like “agree”, can motivate different perspectives that sometimes goagainst framing to one’s own ground, so these words or syntactic patterns should be usedwith prudence. Moreover, certain cognitive feature of frame can facilitate framing in thedebates. Within semantic frame, alternate frame and sub-frame are useful in shiftingframe. Alternate frames assist debaters in shifting frames and getting them unframed bymeans of antonyms, subjunctive mood, etc. Employment of sub-frame is also aneffective, interesting and impressive way of frame-shifting. As far as the interactionalframe is concerned, some consistency and regularity of it is found. The median modaloperators occupy the largest proportion of modal operators, followed by high modaloperators and low modal operators take up the smallest percent. The importance offlexible uses of modal operators is revealed in the thesis. This thesis studies the application of frame theory in the US presidential debates. Itshows how frame theory functions in the US presidential debates from cognitive frame,semantic frame and interactional frame. The research attempts to provide a newperspective for the studies of debates. Meanwhile, the research enriches and expands thecontent and research domain of frame theory, which is meaningful for the perfection ofthe theoretical system. Furthermore, this study intends to contribute to the Englishlearners’ understanding and application of frame theory and shed some light on Englishteaching.