Comparative Study of Phraseological Units in the Political Speeches of Kamala Harris and Claudia Sheinbaum on Reproductive Rights in 2024

Polovič, Tara (author), Santiago Alonso, Gemma Maria (mentor), Vrbinc, Marjeta (mentor)

This thesis examines the use and discursive functions of phraseological units (PUs) in selected English- and Spanish-language political discourse produced by Kamala Harris and Claudia Sheinbaum in 2024. The focus is on discourse concerning reproductive rights, women’s health, gender equality, care, violence against women, and women’s social and political position. The main aim is to identify how fixed, semi-fixed, and recurring expressions are used to construct political messages in two different linguistic and cultural contexts. The theoretical part discusses phraseology and the main types and characteristics of PUs, as well as their role in political discourse. Phraseological analysis is used to identify and classify the selected expressions, while Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) provides a framework for examining their rhetorical and ideological functions within the political and cultural contexts of the United States and Mexico. The analysis is based on ten selected discourse items: four speeches by Kamala Harris and six discourse items by Claudia Sheinbaum. The final corpus contains 78 coded occurrences, with 43 in Harris’s discourse and 35 in Sheinbaum’s. These figures are used descriptively, since the two parts of the corpus differ in length, genre, and communicative setting. The findings show that both politicians use PUs to simplify political arguments, create emotional and ideological associations, construct collective identities, assign political responsibility, and make political messages more memorable and repeatable. Harris’s phraseology is predominantly organised around reproductive freedom, threat, political resistance, voting, and mobilisation, whereas Sheinbaum’s discourse places greater emphasis on equality, collective female identity, institutional recognition, and social transformation. The comparison therefore shows that similar phraseological mechanisms can be used to organise different political narratives and ideological positions.

• Language: English
• Keywords: reproductive rights, political discourse, phraseological units, critical discourse analysis, phraseology, Kamala Harris, Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico, United States, comparative analysis
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Year: 2026
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-188421
• Publication date in RUL: 23.09.2026

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Primerjava uporabe frazeoloških enot v političnih govorih Kamale Harris in Claudie Sheinbaum o reproduktivnih pravicah v letu 2024

Abstract

Magistrsko delo obravnava rabo in diskurzne funkcije frazeoloških enot (FE) v izbranem angleškem in španskem političnem diskurzu Kamale Harris in Claudie Sheinbaum iz leta 2024. Osredotoča se na teme reproduktivnih pravic, zdravja žensk, enakosti spolov, skrbi, nasilja nad ženskami ter njihovega družbenega in političnega položaja. Namen raziskave je ugotoviti, kako se frazeološke enote uporabljajo pri oblikovanju političnih sporočil v dveh različnih jezikovnih in kulturnih okoljih. Teoretični del predstavlja temeljne pojme frazeologije, glavne vrste in značilnosti FE ter njihovo vlogo v političnem diskurzu. Empirični del združuje frazeološko analizo in kritično analizo diskurza (KAD), s katerima so preučene retorične in ideološke funkcije izbranih izrazov v političnem in kulturnem kontekstu Združenih držav Amerike in Mehike. Analiza temelji na desetih diskurznih enotah: štirih govorih Kamale Harris in šestih enotah Claudie Sheinbaum. Korpus obsega 78 kodiranih pojavitev, od tega 43 v diskurzu Kamale Harris in 35 v diskurzu Claudie Sheinbaum. Rezultati kažejo, da obe političarki frazeološke enote uporabljata za poenostavljanje političnih argumentov, ustvarjanje čustvenih in ideoloških povezav ter oblikovanje kolektivnih identitet. V diskurzu Kamale Harris prevladujejo izrazi, povezani z reproduktivno svobodo, političnim odporom, volitvami in mobilizacijo, medtem ko Claudia Sheinbaum večji poudarek namenja enakosti, kolektivni ženski identiteti, institucionalnemu priznanju in družbeni preobrazbi. Primerjava kaže, da se podobni frazeološki mehanizmi lahko uporabljajo za izražanje različnih političnih in ideoloških usmeritev.

• Keywords: reproduktivne pravice, politični diskurz, frazeološke enote, kritična analiza diskurza, frazeologija, Kamala Harris, Claudia Sheinbaum, Mehika, Združene države Amerike, komparativna analiza