Constantes et spécificités des dysfonctionnements interactionnels dans le genre débat politique télévisé : une application au débat de l'entre-deux tours de l'élection présidentielle de 2007

摘要

The second-round debate of presidential elections has been a significant event in French politics since 1974. The final TV debate of 2007, during which presidential candidates Ségolène Royal and Nicolas Sarkozy confronted each other, constitutes the corpus of the present study. The analysis focuses on turn-taking dysfunctions : interruption, overlap and problematic sequence. The aim of this study is to understand the function of these discursive devices in this TV political debate. First, the detailed transcription shows many turn-taking dysfunctions. Second, the analysis of the data reveals different types of interruption (intentional or not, with or without simultaneous speech, isolated or with others interruptions), different types of overlap (when two speakers begin together, when the current speaker continues speaking after the overlap or when he lets the next speaker talk) and different types of problematic sequence (when the next speaker does not answer at all or does not answer well to the first speaker). Third, each type is precisely examined. The discourse analysis demonstrates how the debater uses them to defend himself or to criticize the other person. Furthermore, as turn-taking dysfunctions are conversational insults, the discourse surrounding them is analysed as a way to save face and to build the discursive ethos. The results of this study may help the field of linguistics to understand the discursive strategies of politicians. More generally, it presents a model to analyse every type of turn-taking dysfunction. Future research might focus on other TV political debates and other discursive genres (interviews, TV programmes with politicians) so as to carry out a comparative analysis.