Certain pragmatic and stylistic features of the official speeches of Prime Minister Meloni

Abstract

The study identifies a cluster of characteristics of the communication of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in official discourse contexts. The analysis first focuses on her inaugural speech before Parliament, which is then compared with the analogous speeches of her immediate predecessors, from Letta to Draghi. The analysis of Meloni’s speech highlights a marked tendency towards personalization, testified by specific linguistic indexes (primarily, the reference to the first person), the adoption of a relatively simple language and of a lower than expected stylistic register, and the evocation of the sphere of emotions, all of which are typical communicative traits of center-right populistic leaderism. The observed tendencies are subsequently confirmed through the analysis of the official speeches given by President Meloni during her first year of mandate.