A discoursal analysis of Obamas first acceptance Speech (2008)‎

Abstract EN

Generally speaking, the language of political discourse is a complex issue which includes many strategies of language use to influence the receiver toward a desired attitude or thought.

The use of language strategies differs depending on the aim and conviction of the speaker.

Though the terms text, context and discourse have been used ambiguously by different writers, each term has its own defining identity and principle which distinguishes it from the other related terms.

The present paper, in its first section, presents a full exposition on each of the above three terms in addition to giving an explicit definition for the term discourse analysisin its broadest sense.

There has been another ambiguity which exists between the terms political discourse and political discourse analysis; this ambiguity is solved in the second section of this paper.

The paper mainly aims at making a discourse analysis of President Obama‟s acceptance speech which he has delivered in 2008 after his nomination for the presidency of the United States of America.

Section three of this paper has been devoted for the analysis.

Of all the American presidents, Obama‟s speech has been selected for analysis because he is well known for his rhetorical skills.

The BBC journalist Stephanie Holmes 2008), for instance, pinpoints Obama‟s “ability to captivate and inspire audiences with his powerful speeches”.

In addition, Ekaterina Haskins, professor of rhetoric at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, says, "I believe Barack Obama embodies, more than any other politician, the ideals of American eloquence,"(cited in Holmes (2008).

Moreover, his acceptance speech in 2008 has been selected for analysis to find out the linguistic strategies which he resorted to in convincing the people of his fitness for the presidency.