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The Use of Personal Pronouns in Political Speeches a Comparative Study of the Pronominal Choices of Two American Presidents

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The Use of Personal Pronouns in Political Speeches a Comparative Study of the Pronominal Choices of Two American Presidents School of Language and Literature G3, Bachelors’ Course English Linguistics Course Code: 2EN10E Supervisor: Ibolya Maricic Credits: 15 Examiner: Charlotte Hommerberg Date: May 28, 2012 The Use of Personal Pronouns in Political Speeches A comparative study of the pronominal choices of two American presidents Jessica Håkansson ! !"#$%&'$( The study investigates the pronominal choices made by George W Bush and Barack Obama in their State of the Union speeches. The main focus of the study is on determining whom the two presidents refer to when they use the pronouns I, you, we and they, and to compare the differences in pronominal usage by the two presidents. The results suggest that the pronominal choices of the presidents do not differ significantly. The results also indicate that the pronoun I is used when the speaker wants to speak as an individual rather than as a representative of a group. You is used both as generic pronoun as well as a way for the President to speak to the Congress, without speaking on their behalf. The pronoun we is used to invoke a sense of collectivity and to share responsibility, in most cases it refers to the President and the Congress. They is used to separate self from other; whom the speaker refers to while using they varied greatly between the speakers. The study also showed that the pronominal choices and whom the pronouns refer to vary greatly depending on the context of the speech. Since a great deal of studies on pronominal choices in political interviews and debates already exist, this study can be regarded as significant because it deals with prepared speeches rather than interviews and debates. ! )*+,-%.#/ Personal pronouns, political speeches, pronominal choice, State of the Union Address ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ( ( ( ( ( ! 0&"1*(-2('-3$*3$#( 45(63$%-.7'$8-3(5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555(4! "#"!$%&'!()*)+(,-!./)*0%12*!+23!*,14)!################################################################################################!5! 9(:&$*%8&1(&3.(;*$<-.(5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555(=! 5#"!6+0)(%+7!#######################################################################################################################################################!8! 5#5!6)0-13!########################################################################################################################################################!9! 5#8!:(1;7)&*!+23!7%&%0+0%12*!####################################################################################################################!9! =(0<*-%*$8'&1("&'>?%-73.(555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555(@! 8#"!<-)!=(+&&+0%,+7!,+0)=1(>!1?!4(121/2*!#######################################################################################!@! 8#5!:()A%1/*!*0/3%)*!12!4)(*12+7!4(121/2*!%2!417%0%,*!#################################################################!B! A(B*#71$#(555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555(C! 9#"!<-)!/*)!1?!!!+23!%0*!A+(%+20*!############################################################################################################!"C! 9#5!<-)!/*)!1?!"#$%+23!%0*!A+(%+20*!######################################################################################################!"5! 9#8!<-)!/*)!1?!&'%+23!%0*!A+(%+20*!########################################################################################################!"9! 9#9!<-)!/*)!1?!()'"%+23!%0*!A+(%+20*!#####################################################################################################!"B! 9#@!D1&4+(%*12!1?!0-)!/*+=)!1?!4(121/2*!%2!0-)!0E1!4()*%3)20*F!*4)),-)*!#####################!"G! @(D-3'17#8-3(555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555(9E! B*2*%*3'*#(5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555(99! ! !"#$%&'()*+&,(%( Political speeches have been regarded a major part of American democracy, and they have been so throughout history (Irimiea 2010:2). The speeches are usually held by leading politicians, who speak either to the nation as a whole or to a specific political group. The politicians who give the speeches usually do it as representatives of political groups such as political parties, governments or nations, rather than as individuals. What they are allowed to say and how is often very limited, because one of the main goals of giving a political speech is to enhance the credibility of the politician in question (Irimiea 2010:4). Political speeches are supposed to increase the population’s political participation, help them to understand important issues and how a problem is best solved as well as a way for the politicians to persuade others to have the same opinions as them. The speeches usually rest on the discussion and exposure of an issue and, most importantly, the use of persuasion techniques (Irimiea 2010:3). Making speeches is the way leading politicians convey information and opinions to the people, and computers and TV have undoubtedly made it easier for the citizens (and other people across the world) to access those speeches. These days, although the audience is a key part of political speeches, the real audience is the millions of people reading the speeches in the newspapers, listening to them on the radio or watching them on TV (Beard 2000:37). The speeches are usually written in advance for the speakers by professional speechwriters. Not very many political speeches are transmitted as wholes. Instead, only highlights of the speeches are broadcasted; the highlights are sometimes referred to as soundbites. Experts always consciously choose the soundbites in advance (Beard, A. 2000:37). While listening to or reading speeches, we might not reflect on or even notice the use of personal pronouns. Personal pronouns make up a big part of political speeches, because they can give an idea of whom the speaker in question identifies with. The pronominal choices in political speeches are also interesting because they make an important influence to the overall effect (Beard 2000:43). Politicians present themselves as being able to identify with the wants, interests and needs of the audience. They present themselves in that way to be perceived as good politicians i.e. suitable leaders of the nation. The way politicians present themselves in their speeches, by referring to themselves, their audience and also their opposition can successfully be used to persuade the audience to agree with them. When giving speeches, politicians have a tendency to present the positive aspects of themselves and the ! "! negative aspects of their opponents. One way of achieving this is by intentionally using specific personal pronouns, which refer to themselves or others (Allen 2007:2). 454(!8;F(%*#*&%'<(G7*#$8-3#(&3.(#'-H*( The aim of this study is to compare and analyze the use of personal pronouns in speeches held by former American president, George W. Bush, and the current president of the United States, Barack Obama. The personal pronouns that are analyzed in depth are I, you, we and they. They were chosen because they are the most interesting ones in political contexts, and the ones that affect the outcome of the speeches. They do this by either including or excluding the audience. In addition, this study also investigates who of the two presidents uses the pronouns I, you, we and they most frequently, and why that might be. The research questions for this study are: 1. How are the personal pronouns I, you, we and they used in the speeches held by the two presidents? 2. To whom are the personal pronouns I, you, we and they referring in the speeches? 3. What differences in the use of the personal pronouns I, you, we and they can be found in a comparison between the presidents’ speeches? The study focuses only on specific speeches, and the results can therefore not be applied to Bush’s and Obama’s use of personal pronouns in their speeches in general. Their use of personal pronouns might be dissimilar in their other speeches, especially due to the fact that they have a degree of assistance in the writing of the speeches. The study is divided into sections; the first one presents different categories of pronouns and the next presents previous research on personal pronouns in general as well as in politics. The results sections of the study present both a qualitative analysis accompanied by examples from the eight speeches as well as a comparison of the pronominal usages. The qualitative results are given first, and are divided into four different sections. The following section is the comparison of the speeches, which is a quantitative study. Lastly, there is a conclusion with final thoughts and suggestions for further studies within the topic of pronouns in political speeches. ! 5! !!!"#$%&"'(!"#!!"#$%&( 954(:&$*%8&1( The analysis is based on eight speeches, more specifically the annual speeches referred to as the State of the Union Address. Four of these speeches are from Bush’s presidency, between the years of 2001 and 2004, i.e. his first time at office, and another four from Obama’s presidency, i.e. the four most recent speeches. The reason for choosing these speeches in particular is the fact that they were given under their first presidential terms, perhaps making the study more equal. These
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