A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Political Discourse
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Syracuse University SURFACE Theses - ALL May 2019 Language Dynamism: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Political Discourse Adebimpe Adegbite Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/thesis Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Recommended Citation Adegbite, Adebimpe, "Language Dynamism: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Political Discourse" (2019). Theses - ALL. 325. https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/325 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses - ALL by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT Politicians constantly strive to manipulate language in a way that communicates their intentions without upsetting their audience. The present study is a political discourse analysis of the inaugural speeches of political leaders- Presidents and Prime Ministers of four countries selected from three continents across the world. The selected countries are Nigeria, Liberia, United States of America, and United Kingdom, and the selected speeches are that of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Weah of Liberia, Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump of the United States of America, and Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May of the United Kingdom. The study is a qualitative and quantitative survey text analytical research. It utilizes inaugural speeches as primary data and literature in the field of political discourse as secondary data. Meaning was analyzed using Fairclough’s (2010) CDA approach as well as Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar. Furthermore, analysis was done in the three dimensions of Description (text analysis), Interpretation (processing analysis), and Explanation (social analysis). Research findings showed that the speeches communicated the messages of the leaders based on their sociocultural and sociopolitical reality. It however also reveals some general features of political discourse which cut across cultures, countries and continents. Although there were trends that were peculiar to each country, there were more features such as, context, personality, gender, state of the nation, etc. that served to individually distinguish speakers. In conclusion, the research submits that the combination of different approaches to language analysis facilitated a wholesome interpretation of the considered speeches, including the discourse and sociocultural practices. In addition, context is of immense importance when analyzing content. LANGUAGE DYNAMISM: A CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF POLITICAL DISCOURSE by Adebimpe Adegbite B.A., Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, 2014 DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Linguistics Studies Syracuse University May 2019 Copyright © Adebimpe Adegbite 2019 All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I sincerely appreciate my thesis and concentration advisor, Prof. Susan Wadley, for her great contribution to the success of this study. Her expertise, advice, and corrections were instrumental to the completion of this research as well as the successful defense of the thesis. I am grateful for the painstaking hours she devoted to reading through my drafts and giving helpful suggestions. Furthermore, I would like to thank my two readers: Prof. Tej. Bhatia and Dr. Rania Habib for their contributions and assistance leading to the defense of this research. Also, I am grateful to my committee chairperson, Prof. Richard Buttny for accepting to take this role and his feedback on my draft. Plenty thanks to the Linguistics graduates’ general advisor, Dr. Amanda Brown, for her encouragement and support throughout the thesis process and indeed, my graduate study. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends, especially my fiancée, Opeyemi, with whose support I have been able to focus throughout my MA study and the drafting of this thesis. Their overwhelming love and evident support facilitated the timely completion of this project. DEDICATION This work is dedicated to Omonike Blessing Oyedele of blessed memory. Thanks for your amazing friendship while alive and your inspiring memory while gone beyond. Your legacy is preserved! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE ABSTRACT COPYRIGHT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………… iv DEDICATION………………………………………………………………………………… iv TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………………………… v LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………………….. xi LIST OF CHARTS……………………………………………………………………………. xiii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………...... 1 1.0.General Introduction……………………………………………………………………….. 1 1.1. Background to the Study…………………………………………………………………... 5 1.2. Aim and Objectives………………………………………………………………………... 5 1.3. Research Assumptions……………………………………………………………………... 6 1.4. Significance of Study………………………………………………………………………. 7 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………….. 8 2.1. National Diversity………………………………………………………………………….. 8 2.2. Discourse in the Society……………………………………………………………………. 9 2.3. Political Discourse………………………………………………………………................. 10 2.3.1. Political Speeches………………………………………………………………… 11 2.4. Meaning in Texts…………………………………………………………………………… 13 2.4.1. Ideational Meaning……………………………………………………………….. 13 2.4.1.1. Transitivity System……………………………………………………... 14 v 2.4.2. Interpersonal Meaning……………………………………………………………. 15 2.5. Language and Gender………………………………………………………………………. 17 2.6. Previous Studies in the Field……………………………………………………………….. 17 2.7. Theoretical Framework……………………………………………………………………... 19 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY…………………………………….. 21 3.1. Research Subjects…………………………………………………………………………... 21 3.1.1. Liberia……………………………………………………………………………. 21 3.1.1.1. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf………………………………………… 22 3.1.1.2. President George Oppong Weah……………………………………….. 23 3.1.2. Nigeria……………………………………………………………………………. 24 3.1.2.1. President Olusegun Obasanjo…………………………………………... 25 3.1.2.2. President Muhammadu Buhari…………………………………………. 26 3.1.3. United Kingdom………………………………………………………………….. 26 3.1.3.1. Prime Minister David Cameron………………………………………… 27 3.1.3.2. Prime Minister Theresa May…………………………………………… 27 3.1.4. United States of America…………………………………………………………. 28 3.1.4.1. President Barack Obama………………………………………………... 29 3.1.4.2. President Donald Trump……………………………………………….. 30 3.2. Research Procedure………………………………………………………………………… 30 CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS………………………………………….. 32 4.0. General Introduction……………………………………………………………………….. 32 4.1. Ideational meaning…………………………………………………………………………. 32 4.1.1. Sentence Types: President Obasanjo and President Buhari……………………… 32 vi 4.1.1.1. President Obasanjo……………………………………………………... 32 4.1.1.2. President Buhari………………………………………………………... 34 4.1.1.3. Sentence Types Comparison: President Obasanjo vs President Buhari... 36 4.1.2. Sentence Types: President Johnson Sirleaf and President Weah………………… 36 4.1.2.1. President Johnson Sirleaf………………………………………………. 36 4.1.2.2. President Weah………………………………………………………… 38 4.1.2.3. Sentence types Comparison: President J- Sirleaf vs President Weah….. 39 4.1.3. Sentence Types: President Obama and President Trump………………………… 40 4.1.3.1. President Obama………………………………………………………... 40 4.1.3.2. President Trump………………………………………………………... 41 4.1.3.3. Sentence Types Comparison: President Obama and President Trump… 42 4.1.4. Sentence Types: Prime Minister Cameron and Prime Minister May……………... 43 4.1.4.1. Prime Minister Cameron………………………………………………... 43 4.1.4.2. Prime Minister May…………………………………………………….. 44 4.1.4.3. Sentence Types Comparison: PM Cameron vs PM May………………. 44 4.1.5. Cross-Cultural Sentence Types Analysis………………………………………… 45 4.2. Ideational Meaning: Process Options………………………………………………………. 45 4.2.1. Process Options: President Obasanjo and President Buhari…………………….... 45 4.2.1.1. President Obasanjo…………………………………………………….. .45 4.2.1.2. President Buhari………………………………………………………... 48 4.2.1.3. Process Options Comparison: President Obasanjo & President Buhari… 50 4.2.2. Process Options: President Johnson Sirleaf and President Weah………………… 51 4.2.2.1. President Johnson Sirleaf………………………………………………. 51 vii 4.2.2.2. President Weah…………………………………………………………. 53 4.2.2.3. Process Options Comparison: President J-Sirleaf and President Weah… 55 4.2.3. Process Options: Nigeria versus Liberia…………………………………………. 56 4.2.4. Process Options: President Obama and President Trump………………………... 59 4.2.4.1. President Obama………………………………………………………... 59 4.2.4.2. President Trump………………………………………………………... 61 4.2.4.3. Process Options Comparison: President Obama and President Trump… 63 4.2.5. Process Options: Prime Minister Cameron and Prime Minister May……………. 63 4.2.5.1. Prime Minister Cameron……………………………………………….. 63 4.2.5.2. Prime Minister May……………………………………………………. 64 4.2.5.3. Process options Comparison: PM Cameron and PM May…………….. 65 4.2.6. Cross-Cultural Process options Realizations…………………………………….. 66 4.3. Ideational Meaning: Circumstantial Options……………………………………………..... 67 4.3.1. President Obasanjo and President Buhari………………………………………… 67 4.3.1.1. President Obasanjo……………………………………………………... 67 4.3.1.2. President Buhari………………………………………………………... 69 4.3.1.3. Circumstantial Options: President Buhari versus President Obasanjo… 70 4.3.2. President Johnson Sirleaf and President Weah………………………………….. 71 4.3.2.1. President Johnson Sirleaf………………………………………………. 71 4.3.2.2. President Weah………………………………………………………..... 72 4.3.2.3. Circumstantial Options: President Johnson Sirleaf vs President Weah… 74 4.3.3. Circumstantial