Constructing One’s Arguments Based on Refutations of the Other’s Discourse. A Study of the Traditional Presidential Debate: Chirac/Jospin (1995) Versus Sarkozy/Royal (2007)

This study focuses on the use and function of refutation in two televised debates during which candidates who have reached the second round of the French presidential elections come face to face. The aim of this study is to examine the forms and functions of refutation within the theoretical framework of dialogism. The rhetorical-argumentative functions of refutation and the challenges of this discursive practice in the genre “televised political debate” will also be put forward.