This work examines the linguistic construction of gender identity in the discourse of Margaret Thatcher. Identity is defined in the terms of Bucholtz and Hall (2005) as an ‘emergent’ phenomenon, depending on local contexts of interaction. In analysing the contributions by media figures to processes of identity construction recourse is made to the theories of Turner and Oakes (e.g. 1989) in the field of social identity theory. Interviewers’ questions are examined for what they reveal about identity presuppositions. Mrs Thatcher at times plays along with these presuppositions, ignores them, or objects to them. Her answers tell us something about the identity she wishes to construct. The work focuses on Thatcher’s first major political breakthrough; her conquest of the Conservative leadership in 1975. The toolkit for examining identity in discourse proposed by Bucholtz and Hall (2005) is adopted, and Corpus Linguistics and the Appraisal Framework of Martin and White (2005) are used in support of the selected tools.
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Crines, Andrew S., Timothy Heppell & Peter Dorey
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Díez-Prados, Mercedes & Ana Belén Cabrejas-Peñuelas
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Grebelsky-Lichtman, Tsfira & Roy Katz
2020. Gender Effect on Political Leaders’ Nonverbal Communicative Structure during the COVID-19 Crisis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17:21 ► pp. 7789 ff.
Scicluna Lehrke, Alyse & Kristin Sowden
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Spencer, Leland G. & Timothy S. Forest
2023. Mediating Maggie: Margaret Thatcher, leadership, and gender inThe Iron LadyandThe Crown. Critical Studies in Media Communication 40:2-3 ► pp. 108 ff.
WAHMAN, MICHAEL, NIKOLAOS FRANTZESKAKIS & TEVFIK MURAT YILDIRIM
2021. From Thin to Thick Representation: How a Female President Shapes Female Parliamentary Behavior. American Political Science Review 115:2 ► pp. 360 ff.
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[no author supplied]
2021. Topics and Settings in Sociopragmatics. In The Cambridge Handbook of Sociopragmatics, ► pp. 247 ff.
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