Decoding Worldviews and Framing Current Events: Quotations in the Discourse of Four Italian Political Leaders

This chapter investigates the quotations used in recent years by some Italian leaders, namely Giorgia Meloni, the current prime minister, Elly Schlein the leader of the left-wing party, Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing Lega party, and Matteo Renzi, the former Prime Minister. The quotations used by politicians represent a key to interpreting the worldview and the interpretative framework that inspire them in reading currents events. Quotations, like metaphors, immediately and profoundly reveal the content shared by public figures and people. Through these quotations, we explore the semantic level that interfaces with the cognitive unconscious underlying political discourse and struggle. At the same time, quotes are an effective indication of the speaker’s personality, identity, and education. The aim is to decode the different visions and perspectives on Italian history, and the values of the people highlighted by these quotes—a collective imagination that emerges in parliamentary speeches, conferences, rallies, media interviews and on social media.