Indexing Power Through Self‐Reference: Electoral Margins and the Use of Běnxí Among Taiwanese Parliamentarians
Year: 2025
Type: paratext
Abstract: ABSTRACT This study examines how Taiwanese members of parliament (MPs) deploy self‐referring expressions—specifically, the formal first‐person singular běnxí —to negotiate their institutional standing and project political power. By operationalizing access to objective power using the margin of victory (MoV) as one possible proxy, the research shows that the absence of clear, objectively validated power may drive exploitation of linguistic variation as symbolic work. Analyzing parliamentary transcripts from 2020 to 2021, the findings reveal that MPs with narrower electoral margins—indicative of heightened electoral insecurity—use běnxí more frequently, engaging in greater symbolic work to assert their political legitimacy. Additionally, political party affiliation interacts with MoV in influencing the use of běnxí , but does not emerge as a main effect on its own. These results underscore the role of power negotiation in shaping linguistic behavior.
Source: Journal of Sociolinguistics
DOI: 10.1111/josl.12727
Author: Tsung‐Lun Alan Wan
Institution: National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Language: English
Subfield: Linguistics and Language
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,730
OpenAlex ID: W4415568079