Embodying shifting political styles

Abstract This study examines multimodal linguistic variation in the political discourse of Taiwanese legislator Pin-Yu Lai (PYL), focusing on her stylistic shifts during parliamentary interpellations. Employing both acoustic and gestural analysis, we explore her transition from a polite junior MP aligned with traditional party stances to a confrontational advocate for marginalized young voters. PYL’s ascent reflects the emerging wave of “new politics,” emphasizing youth engagement and transparent governance that prioritizes public interests. Our findings reveal a near-merger of alveolar-retroflex sibilant contrasts and a shift to assertive gestures, highlighting how PYL adeptly uses both linguistic and paralinguistic resources to navigate her self-positioning within the parliament, particularly regarding a controversy over the anime, comics and game (ACG) community. This research pioneers the integration of gestural analysis into studies of political linguistic variation and expands the geographic scope of field by incorporating an East Asian perspective.