The Sound of Leadership: Presidential Communication in the Modern Age

Hart, who analyzed presidential language in Verbal Style and the Presidency, focuses here on speechmaking by American presidents. Using computer methods that note audiences, topics, locations, social settings and other information, he studied some 10,000 presidential speeches made between 1945 and 1985. His findings: rhetorical skill has become a ""primary filtering device'' and the press and public have lost respect for presidential words. Furthermore, Hart makes links between speech and power and the relationship between the president and the mass media. This is a relevatory and significant study, which includes 42 line drawings and 51 tables. (September)