Political discourse in English and Russian media sources (the case of speeches by politicians in the USA and Russia)

The paper provides a definition of political discourse, describes the characteristic features of political discourse and identifies its impact on the audience. A holistic interpretation of political discourse is impossible within the framework of the linguistic sphere alone, which does not account for its purpose and meaning. Understanding political discourse presupposes knowing the historical and socio- cultural background, oratory skills and ability to predict the audience expectations, being aware of ulterior motives, plot patterns, and favorite transitions of logic that exist in a particular era. The political and gender discourses of modern Russian and American societies form, sustain and correct each other. The basic model of using gender discourse in political life is manifested in the gender asymmetry of language and culture represented as masculinization of “Friend” and feminization of “Foe”. Political discourse in this work is considered as a resource for creating an anthropocentric gender model and as a weapon of political struggle, through a comparative analysis of the linguistic features of American and Russian political discourses.