Critical Discourse Analysis of Obama's Political Discourse

is a struggle for power in order to put certain political, economic and social ideas into practice.

Language plays a crucial role there.

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) objective is to perceive language use as social practice.

The users of language do not function in isolation, but in a set of cultural, social and psychological frameworks.

The inaugural address of president Barack Obama can be internally divided into the

following six parts:

1. Thanking his predecessor

2. Acknowledging the economic crisis

3. Pointing out crisis of the past

4. Addressing cynics

5. Addressing the World

6. The solution lies with the people

The speech consists of 2403 words.

Keyword Repeats

Nation 12

New 11

America 9

Today 7

People 7

Less 7

World 7

Time 6

Work 6

Keyword phrases Repeats

a new 7

our nation 5

the world 5

men and 4

and women 4

our common 4

of peace 3

 

The results of the keyword analysis

• concentration on the domestic issues, “nation”, “our nation” being the most prominent words and collocations

• the key attribute of Obama’s address is the adjective “new”, which characterizes the strategy and ideas of the new president

 

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met."

An adamant statement full of far-reaching resolutions, the temporal deixis “today” gives the air of a fresh start.

"Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.”

At this point, Obama departs further from the dichotomies of good and evil, or in his case of good or ill.

Key ideological components:

pragmatism, liberalism, inclusiveness, acceptance of religious

and

ethnic diversity and unity.

The most prominent words are:

nation, new and America, we

which is an evidence of Obama’s inclusive perception of the American society and a need for unity, understood as necessary in the time of national peril.