State Candidates’ Language Choices as a Reflection of Political Subcultures.

This research attempts to explore political culture by examining the campaign speeches of South Carolina and Michigan gubernatorial candidates throughout the 1950s -- a time when the differences between the subcultures of these two states were described as robust. The findings reveal distinct rhetorical patterns, as appeals to voters in a moralistic culture promoted full participation and collective resolution of community problems, while those made in a traditionalistic culture were exclusionary and encouraged people to rely on the political elite. These distinctions were even reflected in candidates' choice of pronouns with Southern candidates consistently choosing the pronoun I and the Michigan candidate preferring the collective pronoun we. The results lay the groundwork for future research tracing how such regional rhetorical patterns have evolved over time. Such efforts should provide much needed insight into the way political norms are reconstructed and modified across time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]