ABSTRACT
This research work examined the persuasive strategies of President
Obama’s public speaking as enshrined in his inaugural address. The
analysis is grounded on Norman Fairclough’s assumptions in Critical
Discourse Analysis, claiming that ideologies reside in texts that it is
not possible to remove or ignore ideologies from texts and that texts
are open to diverse interpretations. The selected corpus’ ideological
and persuasive components were assessed. The analytical part of this
research work analyzes the possible interrelatedness of textual
properties and power relations, which is also underpinned in
Fairclough’s conceptual work, thus revealing Obama’s persuasive
strategies showing the relationship between language, ideology and
reality. This work investigated the ability to empower the people with a
new political power by bringing into view the real knowledge of the
inauguration speech of President Barrack Obama.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One – General Introduction
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background to the study
1.2 Purpose of the study
1.3 Justification of the Study
1.4 Scope and Delimitation of the Study
1.5 Authorial Background
1.6 Conclusion
Chapter Two – Literature Review
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Theoretical Underpinnings
2.2 Liberal Discourse
Chapter Three – Data Analysis
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Elements to be used for analysis
3.2 Outline of the Inaugural Speech
3.3 Analysis of the Language and Style
3.4 Ideological Analysis
3.5 Use of Language
3.6 Analysis of Biblical Analysis
Conclusion
CHAPTER FOUR – Summary, Findings and Conclusion
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Summary
4.2 Findings
4.3 Conclusion
REFERENCES
Appendix
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Chapter one of this research work deals with the foundational study
which include the Background to the study, Purpose of the study,
Justification of the study, Scope and Delimitation of the study and the
Authorial background. It is a general insight to what the work entails.
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Effective reading is of utmost seriousness in the modern era due to
the prevalence of media and vast exposure to information. Ironically,
people and even scholars have turned a blind eye to the details and
distinctions of discourse production and comprehension. This is due to
the fact that language users do not often develop a full competence in
the semantic component of the language. Regularly, people are heedless
to and unenlightened about the implications of the shades of meanings
when they are producing discourse or are exposed to it. Moslem (2009)
The concepts of discourse, genre, and style are intimately connected
with each other. They are dealing with the macro and micro levels of
sociological and linguistic studies. There is a dialectic relationship
between social actors or individuals (micro structure) and the social
practices and values (macro structure). In this background, a
multiplicity of texts is in close interaction with social parameters to
bring about different ideological, identities and power structures. In
this respect, the voice given to the macro structure, that is government
and institutions or the micro structures that is individuals is
immensely affected by the theorists’ ideological orientations. Moslem
(2009).
Politics is a struggle for power necessary to put certain political,
economic and social ideas into practice. In this process, language plays
a crucial role, for every political action is prepared, accompanied,
influenced and played by language. This paper analyzes political
discourse, namely the inaugural address of President Barrack Obama.
Given the enormous domestic and global significance of the said speech
in these times of international economic turmoil it is crucial to
interpret ideological traits typical of Barrack Obama’s enshrined in his
inaugural address. An Inaugural address oridinarily decides policies of
the newly inaugurated president and its overall significance is
enhanced in the case of Obama’s policy of “change”. This work will
examine President Obama’s speech using Critical Discourse Analysis as a
tool.
1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
This work will attempt to critically analyze the relationship between
language, ideology and reality. Critical Discourse Analysis attempts to
reveal hidden meanings, which are ideologically inclined in a
discourse. This work in other words shall reflect on insights in
Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) that is uncovering of implicit
ideologies in texts. It unveils the underlying ideological prejudices
and therefore the exercise of power in texts. (Widdoson, 2000:157).
The aim of this paper is to examine President Barrack Obama’s
Inaugural speech especially its ideological component using the tools of
Critical Discourse Analysis texts.
1.3 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY
The conceptual basis of this work is adopted from Norman Fairclough’s
ideas on discourse and power, and discourse and hegemony. The attempt
to link social practice and linguistic practice, as well as micro and
macro analysis of discourse (Fairclough 1989: 97). At the same time, the
analytical part of this research work analyzes the possible
interrelatedness of textual properties and power relations, which is
also underpinned in Fairclough’s conceptual work. Furthermore, this
research work attempts to deconstruct covert ideology which is ‘hidden’
in the text – President Barrack Obama’s inaugural speech, stemming from
the theoretical hypothesis of the Critical Discourse Analysis.
1.4 SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
Language is the most essential ingredient in communication which
explains why it means different things to different people who employ it
to varied academic endeavors. As expected, many people have attempted
to study the language used by people in various professional,
non-professional and academic fields. For instance, volumes have been
written on the phonological, Syntactic, Lexico-Semantic, Morphological
as well a Pragmatic concept of English language such as “The study of
Phonology of English Language”, “University Grammar” by Randolph Quirk.
However, it must be noted that this research work will shed more
light on the description and the critical interpretation of a discourse
namely, President Barrack Obama’s Inauguration Speech on January 20,
2009 thereby bringing about the relationship between the choice of
lexemes in the language use and the ideology embedded in it, and how it
affects the society.
1.5 AUTHORIAL BACKGROUND
On January 20, 2009, Barrack Hussein Obama not only became the 44th
president of the United States of America but also the first
African-American to hold the highest office in the American history.
Barrack Hussein Obama was born to a black man, Barrack Obama Snr., and a
white woman named Ann Dunham on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His
mother was from Kansas and his father was originally from Kenya where
he later returned to after his separation with Obama’s mother. Obama’s
early childhood was not a smooth one of any sort. In 1967 Obama’s parent
divorced. His mother remarried an Indonesian foreign student named Lolo
Soetoro and had a second child named Maya. Obama lived in Jakarta with
his mother, new stepfather and half sister from age six to ten. He moved
back to his birthplace in Honolulu, Hawaii when he turned ten to live
with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham.
Obama’s grandparent took the role as his parents. Although, Obama was
living in a white household yet he was being identified as a black man.
Living with his grandparent in Honolulu, Hawaii, led Obama to attend an
elite Punahou Academy on a scholarship, where he was one of the only
three African-American students, until 1979 when he graduated. During
this period in his life, Obama saw his father for the last time in
1971.Unfortunately, Obama’s father died later on in a car accident in
1982. Barrack Obama also lost his mother to ovarian cancer in 1999
Barrack Obama received a Bachelors of Arts at Columbia University in
New York City, where he also studied political science. After
graduation, Obama went to work at Business International Corporation and
New York Interest Research Group. Obama later worked for a social
services organization in Chicago right before being admitted in one of
the top three law schools in the United States, Harvard Law School to
study law.
This is where Obama’s determination, strength and will really started
to shine. In 1990, Obama was elected as President of the Harvard Law
Review Journal. He was the first African-American to hold that type of
position at Harvard. He worked hard and strong during his years at
Harvard and in 1991, Obama graduated “magna cum laude” at the top of his
class. His accomplishments gave him the opportunity to work at any law
firm of his choice. He declined the top Manhattan Law Firm’s offers to
go back to Chicago and work for the civil rights Law firms such as
Miner, Barnhill and Galland. He went on to teach at the University of
Chicago Law School, which also helped organize voter registration drives
during Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. His work led him to
run for Illinois State Senate with the Democratic Party, where he won in
1996, which became the start of former Senator Obama’s journey to
become the 44th President of the United States and the first
African-American President in 2009.Barrack Obama got married to Michelle
Obama on October 3, 1992. They have two daughters Malia Ann Obama born
in 1998 and Natasha Obama born in 2001.
1.6 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Meaning is not a monolithic construct; it is a
multidimensional and slippery concept with amazing complexity. ( Moslem:
2009).Understanding the silent meaning of a text, be it spoken or
written is a highly-needed skill in the modern era, because the exposure
to information and media is so vast that one can ever be sure of the
validity of the surrounding information.
In the next chapter, we shall review our literature. What
different scholars and linguists have said about the
theory that would be used for the research work.