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Naked Prancingwifenaked N Wife Lt Content Undergraduate Student Research Grant Application Deadline 2 【小論文 】Obama演說的類型分析(Genre analysis) » 湯瑪士的英語研究筆記

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To be more practical, Flowerdew (2002) divided genre analysis approaches into two aspects: text and context. The former point of view is a linguistic-oriented which focuses on the lexis, grammar or structures in the text while the latter pay more attention to the situation or context. In advance, he suggested that it depends on the purpose and the audience to decide which approach should be used.

Since this research is more possible to be applied in the area of teaching English, I will first use the linguistic approach to discuss the text and then the context of the specific genre will be taken into consideration and discussion. The text drawn on here was spoken by present Obama in 2008 after he won the president election and other public speaking he addressed from 2004 to 2008 will be compared with.

The purpose of the texts

The communicative purpose is what Bhatia (1993) recommended that the most important factor in genre classification. In the texts, there are several purposes. During the election period, they were mainly delivered to attract voters support to win the election. They were also the tools to communicate their appreciation to the supporters help and to encourage constant advocating of the supporters. Besides, they had the mission to convey Obama’s politics such as encouraging multi-culture and against racism. Also, they are used to respond to other people’s critical opinion and to endeavor to draw opponents’ agreement. On the other hand, to motivate people to trust that Obama will lead them to a better future is another important objective.

The structure of the texts

The structure of the texts could be classified into several catalogues: greeting, introduction, body, conclusion and ending politely. Obama’s public speaking usually begin from the greeting part such as “hello, Chicago” or “thank you” to show his gratitude to other people. In the aspect of introduction, He is familiar to mention the place where held the speech such as "the great state of Illinois" (2004). Or mentioning the audience and make them feel proud, for example:

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled -- Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America! (Obama, 2008b)

In this paragraph, Obama almost mentioned all the race and people that live in America to express his respect to everyone. This approach can provide a friendly relation between the speaker and the audience in the beginning of a speech. In the next move, some politics such as education reform are provided; some challenges are answered and some stories which involve the history of the nation and the growth of the citizens are told. By the clear and powerful statements, the spirit of cooperation is cultivated. After that, in the conclusion part, Obama usually illustrated a better future and a more perfect union to persuade the audience to stand with him. Finally, to end politely, some blessing, such as “thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America”, will be expressed while the speech can be finished in a grateful attitude with this kind of ending (Obama, 2008b).

The setting of the texts

Most of the texts were spoken in public spaces. The president-elect victory speech was happened in American Chicago Grant Park. The time was in 2008. Since the financial crisis happened in the end of 2007 has resulted in the collapse of large financial institutions, the bailout of banks by national governments and downturns in stock markets around the world, the economic situation in America still suffered from the crisis in 2008. It is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Thus, that was the time that most American citizens urgent to find hope.

The author and the speaker of the texts

A report have pointed out that not only Obama but also his staff wrote the texts (Wolffe, 2008). Despite that Obama himself was a bestselling author who wrote the book Dreams from my father (2008b) and The audacity of hope (2008a), he was too busy in the election. As a result, he hired some people who have similar political believes and are Democrats to write the speeches for him.

On the other hand, the speaker is always Obama. He is an African American and was born in Hawaii. His multiracial heritage confused him when he was a young adult but later the experience of a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect contributed to build his world view (Obama, 2008b). Besides, he has high educated background and graduates from Harvard Law School. Even though his special background sometimes become the target other politicians criticized, it also help him to gain voters’ support from different races and social status.

The content of the texts

Since the texts were happened in the United States during the period of presidential election, most of the content is about the political views such as taxes, oil, education, energy, and health care. Besides, the history of America, the spirit of equality and independence and the multi-culture growth background are also mentioned frequently. Sometimes, Obama tells some stories about the people he met to convey his opinion. For example, he cited a 106 years old lady’s viewpoint to tell the spirit of change in his victory speech because she has seen the improvement of America through several generations (Obama, 2008b). Within the portraits of these common people, his speech becomes more friendly and believable.

The intended audience for the texts

The primary audiences are the citizens who can affect the outcome of the election. On the other hand, the secondary readership belongs to those people who may watch the speech around the world. Obama knew this; as a result, he also noted that “and to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores…” in his victory speech (2008b).

The relationship between the speaker and the audience of the texts

At first, he was a candidate who wants to obtain voters’ trust and the votes. After he won the election, the relationship changed and he became the president who will govern the nation for four years. Therefore, we can see that the role-change affect his content and attitude in his speeches.

The language and discourse of the texts

The texts are spoken in a formal and organized style.

Besides, Obama knows how to make his speech attractive and how to play rhetoric games. Gallo (2008b) revealed that there are several characteristics of Obama’s speech: parallel structures, alliteration, and rich Imagery.

Firstly, he often draws on parallel structures. That is, repeating the same word or expression at the beginning of successive sentences or phrases. One of the most well-known examples is King's "I Have a Dream" speech. "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed…. I have a dream that… I have a dream that…" (Martin Luther King, 1963). Obama uses the same device frequently. In his victory speech, Obama (2008b) said in the beginning that, " It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen…It's the answer…It's the answer…" Similarly, the repetition of a word or expression at the end of a successive sentences or phrases is also frequently appearing in the speech. One famous example could be seen in the same speech that “…the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can….Yes, we can…Yes, we can"(2008b). This technique could really motivate thousands of supporters.

Secondly, alliteration means that connecting words that start with analogous sounds. At the 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote speech that brought Obama to national attention, he said "do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?" (2004).

Another effective device makes Obama a persuasive speaker is “rich imagery”. The construction of mental pictures is always functional to stir emotions. In his speech, Obama ask the audiences "if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?” (2008b).

Shared values and understandings between the speaker and the audience of the texts

The history of America and the spirit of independence are shared between the speaker and the audience. Also, the American dream, the honor of the nation’s economic achievement, the problem of racism and the financial crisis are all involved in the culture they lived with.

Discussion

Public speaking as a specific genre, apart from a few exceptions, most of the literature on public speaking is formal and organized. A book about public speaking would say sentences such as “be careful that your talk is the middle, not the muddle” or “nice guys finish fast” (Desberg, 1996, p. 120); this reveals that a public speaking is not expected to be messy and casual. Therefore, Obama’s speech is apparent to be designed elaborately to follow the convention of the genre.