public, in large part because her public speaking style was remarkably
informal (Purnell et al. 2009).
An open and frank discussion of socioeconomic class is not the usual
way of things in a national campaign. Instead Palin used language features
to set her own frame. This policy provided a way for detractors to zero in
on what some saw as a serious lack of education and world knowledge.
The Governor’s folksy style was apparently designed to establish her
authenticity, and so in challenging her linguistic choices, observers were
also challenging her sincerity and the authenticity of the frame she
established for herself.
Questions about the origins of Palin’s regional variety of American
English,^15 the way she sometimes “dropped the g sound” in words like
going (Liberman 2004); her pronunciation of the word nuclear;^16 and her
use of euphemistic forms such as heck, darn, and doggone (Evans Davies
2009; Purnell et al. 2009) all became the focus of negative attention.
Note that I am distinguishing between the content, logic and quality of
Palin’s statements (which I will not evaluate here), on the one hand, and,
on the other, the sociolinguistic markers in her speech.
It is likely that everyone who ever ran for higher office has had
detractors who focused on their variety of English and specific language
traits. The difference in Palin’s case was the extent to which the news
media chose to be a part of the process. A few words about the nature of
satire and parody will help in understanding the media’s role in the
linguistic subordination of Sarah Palin.
Satire uses humor to make an emotion-laden subject easier to approach,
while in parody, the humor is an end unto itself. Those who employ parody
aim in the first line to entertain with extreme portrayals of established
ideas or characters. Satire is less dependent on mimicry, and has a larger
underlying purpose that arises out of anger and frustration.
It is possible to achieve both at one time. Currently the most popular
example is The Comedy Network’s The Colbert Report. Colbert’s parody
of a conservative talk-show host is humorous on the surface, but his
purpose is more than humor. The entire show is an elaborate satire that is
meant to throw light on what Colbert believes is wrong and what needs to
change in the American government.
In the time running up to a presidential election, all candidates are open
targets for parody and satire. Political cartoonists, comedians,