Deconstructing The 'Eldest Daughter' Archetype in Taylor Swift's Illocutionary Acts

Abstract

This study examines the linguistic construction and deconstruction of the "eldest daughter" archetype in Taylor Swift's song of the same name, synthesizing Searle's taxonomy of illocutionary acts with Derrida's deconstructive framework. The lyrics were unitized into 27 segments, classified through pragmatic analysis, then reread deconstructively. Representatives (66.7%) and Commissives (25.9%) dominated, constructing a persona defined by hyper-awareness, confessional honesty, and unwavering loyalty, while the absence of Directives positioned the speaker as offering one-sided commitment without demanding reciprocity. Deconstructive analysis, however, exposed that this identity relies on unstable binary oppositions, namely responsibility/freedom, strength/vulnerability, and self-sacrifice/self-interest, that undermine its coherence. The "eldest daughter" archetype therefore functions not as a fixed identity but as a fluid, contradictory performance sustained within unresolvable tensions. This pattern offers a concrete analytical template that future studies of gender performance in popular music can apply to other songs and artists.