A Critical Discourse Analysis of Inaugural Speeches by Obama and Trump

Abstract

In the recent decades,discourse analysis has increasingly become a main research method within linguistic analysis, of which Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) has been widely applied and analyzed at home and abroad to uncover the relationship between power and ideology embodied in language,especially the analysis of political texts based on Critical Discourse Analysis. On the other hand, the American president is the most influential political leader of western countries in the world, and owns the incomparable power to exert in and outside the United states of America., their inaugural speech deserves analysis. The thesis adopts two American presidents’ inaugural speeches to raise the readers’ critical thinking skills when understanding the conversation, as well as increase their comprehension and practice towards Critical Discourse Analysis.    

The paper consists of four parts. The first part includes Critical Discourse Analysis and its eight analytical principles. The second part is about the three methods of Critical Discourse Analysis, including systemic functional grammar analysis, analysis of the interweaving subjects, as well as analysis of the historical background of discourse.The third part gives a brief introduction to the two Presidents and their inaugural speeches. The fourth part is devoted to a detailed analysis of president Barack Obama’s and President Donald Trump’s inaugural speeches from the modality system, nominalization, implication in discourse and choices of words respectively, most of which hinges around Halliday’s systemic functional grammar. 

Key Words: inaugural speeches;Critical Discourse Analysis;systemic functional grammar；