Critical Discourse Analysis on Political Texts
Critical Discourse Analysis on Political Texts
Abstract
Critical Discourse Analysis (hereafter abbreviated as CDA) concerns power relationships between language and society. Meanwhile, politics have influence in many facets around the society. Presenting samples of political texts collected, this paper aims at analyzing the power relationships in political texts with CDA.
1. Introduction
CDA can be summarized as a study of language use through discourse as well as social problems, revealing initially implicit power relationships therein (Mirzaee. S, Hamidi. H, 2012). How language does things- criticizes, encourages etc.- will be a concern. Meanwhile, politics arguably have significance on the society. Politics is also closely associated with power, holding the potential influence on one's everyday life. Thus, a CDA into political texts would prove intriguing. The samples cited are all political speeches and texts. Fairclough's (1992, 1995) framework will be used as the chief framework for analysis.
2. Methodologies
Data are drawn from politician's speeches, covering different issues.
The framework for interpretation is chiefly based on the three-level analysis by Fairclough (1992,
1995):
1. the texts per se, including the lexical and rhetorical devices used;
2. the discursive practice, meaning what the text-type is and how the discourse is conventionally produced, distributed and consumed;
3. the social practice, which concern how the aforementioned practices in that particular discourse type come from when put into social contexts; where the three levels are closely associated.
3. Data and Analysis
3.1 Datum 1:
Situation: Inauguration speech by Barack Obama in year 2008
Text (excerpt):
1 “…For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search
2.of a new life.
3.For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed 4.the hard earth.
5.For us, they
Abstract
Critical Discourse Analysis (hereafter abbreviated as CDA) concerns power relationships between language and society. Meanwhile, politics have influence in many facets around the society. Presenting samples of political texts collected, this paper aims at analyzing the power relationships in political texts with CDA.
1. Introduction
CDA can be summarized as a study of language use through discourse as well as social problems, revealing initially implicit power relationships therein (Mirzaee. S, Hamidi. H, 2012). How language does things- criticizes, encourages etc.- will be a concern. Meanwhile, politics arguably have significance on the society. Politics is also closely associated with power, holding the potential influence on one's everyday life. Thus, a CDA into political texts would prove intriguing. The samples cited are all political speeches and texts. Fairclough's (1992, 1995) framework will be used as the chief framework for analysis.
2. Methodologies
Data are drawn from politician's speeches, covering different issues.
The framework for interpretation is chiefly based on the three-level analysis by Fairclough (1992,
1995):
1. the texts per se, including the lexical and rhetorical devices used;
2. the discursive practice, meaning what the text-type is and how the discourse is conventionally produced, distributed and consumed;
3. the social practice, which concern how the aforementioned practices in that particular discourse type come from when put into social contexts; where the three levels are closely associated.
3. Data and Analysis
3.1 Datum 1:
Situation: Inauguration speech by Barack Obama in year 2008
Text (excerpt):
1 “…For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search
2.of a new life.
3.For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed 4.the hard earth.
5.For us, they