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Discursive Portrait of the President of Argentina Javier Milei

https://doi.org/10.24833/2410-2423-2025-4-45-65-77

Abstract

   The article creates a discursive portrait of the President of Argentina Javier Milei. The politician is distinguished by eccentric behavior, and his speeches are characterized by a high degree of emotionality. The article analyzes the texts of 86 speeches of J. Milei for the period from December 10, 2023 to December 10, 2024, that is, during the first year of his tenure as President of Argentina. A review of scientific publications dedicated to the discourse of J. Milei and his supporters is given. A number of lexical units used by J. Milei to create the image of an “enemy” and an “ally” are highlighted. The Argentine politician considers the Peronists and Socialists as his opponents, in relation to whom he uses such lexemes as “casta”, “siniestros”, “sátrapas”, etc. Politicians who are ideologically close to J. Milei are such personalities as the US President D. Trump and the leader of the Spanish party “Vox” S. Abascal. It is shown how J. Milei copies the discursive practices of these political figures. The use of historical precedents in the discourse of the President of Argentina is considered. The analyzed texts are dominated by references to the period of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. This era is perceived by the head of state as the “golden age” of Argentina. The article analyzes J. Milei’s use of colloquial vocabulary, including a number of lexical units characteristic of the colloquial-lowered register of Rioplatense Spanish (for example, “berretada”, “chanta”, “ñoqui”). The analysis is conducted of the politician’s use of the formula “¡Viva la libertad, carajo!” at the end of his speeches. Although this formula is often perceived in the media as the most striking feature of J. Milei’s discursive portrait, the study shows that it is recorded in only 55 of the 86 analyzed texts.

About the Author

A. A. Tereshchuk
The Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia
Russian Federation

Andrei A. Tereshchuk, Ph.D., is Associate Professor

Department of Romance Philology

191186; Moyka emb., 48; St. Petersburg

Research interests: political linguistics; language of Spanish Carlism; language
contacts; history of Spain and Spanish literature of the 19th century



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Review

For citations:


Tereshchuk A.A. Discursive Portrait of the President of Argentina Javier Milei. MGIMO Journal of Language Research and Teaching. 2025;11(4):65-77. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24833/2410-2423-2025-4-45-65-77

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