Date of Award

3-26-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

School of Communication

First Advisor

Phillip Chidester

Abstract

Due to rampant political polarization in the United States this thesis investigated the role of language in perpetuating opposing ideologies. A critical rhetorical cluster analysis of Florida’s House Bill 1557, political rhetoric, and public discourse reveals the contemporary power of ultimate terms. Within the United States terms such as “parental rights” and “Don’t Say Gay” operate to further divisive discourses due to their simultaneous perceptions as god and devil terms. In the United States such buzzwords are associated with vastly different valences dependent on individual ideological value systems, which often correlate with one’s political affiliations. Existing scholarship on the ideograph was used to guide this study which uncovered current methods of ideological influence in today’s hyperpolarized sociopolitical landscape.

Comments

Imported from Limbach_ilstu_0092N_12368.pdf

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2023.20230711063201877757.999968

Page Count

84

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