Do you link this with the trait of cognitive rigidity?

I’ve found also that Trump and supporters also do this. It seems likely this marks a personality trait typical of authoritarians and potential ones.

Interesting. Are these findings based on statistical evidence?

More on Trump. (2) Syntax.
It’s well known Trump uses simple sentences. It’s a marker of all populism, authoritarianism and potentially dictatorial rule, and other linguists may have already covered this. We need to track it across languages, and between far-right actors.and political cultures.

This an important topic also for political linguistics. Consider Trump and his ilk. Can be researched at all linguistic levels, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, etc. Can be linked to traits such as cognitive rigidity.

Thanks. I’ll read it! I’ve also recently published with CUP, “Brexitspeak: Demagoguery and the Decline of Democracy (2025). Btw I’m also working with a research group in Oxford on extremists, authoritarians, and Trump.

Thanks! Will check it out.

Yes, fair point. Anyway, it’s up to us other linguists to do our own linguistic analyses of Trumpspeak, using our own methods, amongst which sociolinguistics is clearly crucial. See my earlier posts.

Whatever disagreements linguists may have over Chomsky, he is at least taking a clear stand against the Trump regime.

Reform UK is a racist party!

Absolutely right, except that it’s a reasonable hypothesis that humans evolved an innate schematic capacity for language. Re the description of changing usage there is much more to say that is relevant today…

T

Shocking. A warning sign as to where the UK is heading. Time to resist the rise of Reform. We need a government that will lead that. Or we’ll end up like Trumpland.

chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/is-t...

chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/is-t...

This now ancient news, I’m afraid. Where are the rejoiners on Bluesky?