Discursive Analysis of the Candidates' Ethos Construction in the 2012 Presidential Debate

Abstract

The ethos, as a self-image, has become an important part of persuasion for politicians. In the political debate, the self-confirmation of the politician is expressed under the image which will develop among the voters by an identity of his person. This article concerns the last electoral face to face between François Hollande (now FH) and Nicolas Sarkozy (NS), during the French election which took place on May 2, 2012. The objective of this study is to analyze how the ethos is revealed in the speeches of the two candidates during their interaction. It is a question of determining the various constructions that the candidate makes of his own image and that of his adversary to gain the support of the audience.