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Critical Discourse Analysis of Obamas Political

Discourse
By Mariyum Ali
Abstract: The Critical Discourse Analysis is often
applied to analyze political discourse including the
public speech, in which the speaker wins favourite
response from the audience. This paper examines
covert ideology of President Obamas public speaking
and analyzes speech from the point of transitivity and
modality, in which we can learn how the language
serve the ideology and power. Moreover, we can have a
better understanding of the political purpose of the
speech.
Index Terms: Critical Discourse Analysis, Covert
Ideology, Transitivity, Modality, Political Purpose.
Introduction:
Critical linguistic is also called Critical Discourse
Analysis (CDA). It first originated in Britain 1985 when
the work Language and Control was published.
Critical Discourse Analysis is a type of discourse
analytical research that primarily studies the way social
power abuse, dominance, and inequality are enacted,
reproduced, and resisted by text and talk in the social
and political context.
This analysis on the Obamas speech is grounded
in Norman Faircloughs assumptions in Critical

Discourse Analysis (CDA), claiming that ideologies

reside in texts that it is not possible to read off
ideologies from texts and that texts are open to
diverse interpretations
Full text of Barack Obamas Speech.
On the Courage and Dignity of the People of
Iran
(Delivered 23rd June 2009)
Good afternoon, everybody. Today I want to start
by addressing three issues, and then I'll take your
questions.
First, I'd like to say a few words about the situation
in Iran. The United States and the international
community have been appalled and outraged by the
threats, the beatings, and imprisonments of the last
few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and
I join with the American people in mourning each and
every innocent life that is lost.
I've made it clear that the United States respects
the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is
not interfering with Iran's affairs. But we must also bear
witness to the courage and the dignity of the Iranian
people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian
society. And we deplore the violence against innocent
civilians anywhere that it takes place.
The Iranian people are trying to have a debate
about their future. Some in Iran -- Some in the Iranian
government, in particular, are trying to avoid that
debate by accusing the United States and others in the

West of instigating protests over the election. These

accusations are patently false. They're an obvious
attempt to distract people from what is truly taking
place within Iran's borders. This tired strategy of using
old tensions to scapegoat other countries won't work
anymore in Iran. This is not about the United States or
the West; this is about the people of Iran, and the
future that they -- and only they -- will choose. The
Iranian people can speak for themselves. That's
precisely what's happened in the last few days.
In 2009, no iron fist is strong enough to shut off the
world from bearing witness to peaceful protests of
justice. Despite the Iranian government's efforts to
expel journalists and isolate itself, powerful images and
poignant words have made their way to us through cell
phones and computers, and so we've watched what the
Iranian people are doing.
This is what we've witnessed.
We've seen the timeless dignity of tens of
thousands of Iranians marching in silence. We've seen
people of all ages risk everything to insist that their
votes are counted and that their voices are heard.
Above all, we've seen courageous women stand up to
the brutality and threats, and we've experienced the
searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the
streets. While this loss is raw and extraordinarily
painful, we also know this: Those who stand up for
justice are always on the right side of history.
As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never
succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people
have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If
the Iranian government seeks the respect of the
international community, it must respect those rights

and heed the will of its own people. It must govern

through consent and not coercion. That's what Iran's
own people are calling for, and the Iranian people will
ultimately judge the actions of their own government.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Outline of the Speech
The speech of Barack Obama can be internally
divided into following parts.
1. Condemnation of unjust actions.
2. Respecting the sovereignty of Islamic Republic of
Iran.
3. False accusations on west.
4. Timeless dignity of Iranians.
5. Universal right of Iranian people.
Examples of the Rules of Three:
The rule of three or power of three is a writing Principle
that suggests that things that come in threes are more
satisfying or more effective than other numbers of
things.
Examples from speech:
1. The United States and the international community
have been appalled and outraged by the threats,
the beatings, and imprisonments of the last few
days.
2. This is not about the United States or the west; this
is about the people of Iran, and the future that they
and only they will choose.

Examples of Contrast:
1. It must be govern through consent and not
coercion.

Analysis
of
connotations:

frequently

used

Keywords

Repeats

United States
International Community
Iran
West
Iranian
People
Future
Protests
Justice

4
2

words

and

7
2
10
11
2
2
2

Personal and Possessive Pronouns:

Ingroup-outgroup distinction, differentiation and
polarization, which by our definition of ideologies as
basic self-group schemata of social cognition, are the
central characteristics of all ideologies are marked in
discourse structure first of all by personal and
possessive pronouns.
Personal Pronouns
First Person

I (me)
We (us)

7
10

Third Person
It (It)

Possessive Pronouns
Their (Theirs)
5
From this table, we can find out that the first
person is used most. For example, the use of the first
person pronoun we is to shorten the distance
between the speaker and the audience, regardless of
their disparity in age, social status and professions etc,
it may include both the speaker and the listener into
the same arena, and thus make the audience feel close
to the speaker and his points.

Ideological Analysis
This analysis and interpretation of ideological
aspect of Obamas speech attempts to link the public
discourse with the social processes and to decipher
covert ideology of the text.
Obama starts his speech by saying that he will discuss
about three issues.
(i) Condemnation of unjust actions in Iran
(ii) Claiming accusations on US to be false
(iii) Ordering Iranian government to heed the will
of its people.

The first issue is on the ideology of Socialism.

The words used in the text, discussing first issue are
very positive as Obama discouraged the threats, the
beatings, and imprisonments.
The United States and the International
community have been appalled and outraged by
the threats, the beatings, and imprisonments of
the last few days.
Obama uses very harsh words for discouraging
injustice, and the following line shows his act of
humanity.
I join with the American people in mourning
each and every innocent life that is lost.
In the start of the speech Obama tries to show
positive picture about the United States, as he says
that
United States respects the sovereignty of the
Islamic Republic of Iran.
As the speech goes on, Obamas tone and words
becomes more harder and direct as he claims
accusations on United States and west to be false and
fallacious.
Some in Iran some in the Iranian government,
in particular, are trying to avoid that debate by

accusing the United States and others in the

west of instigating protests over the election.
These accusations are patently false.
Obama uses the words which are also very
unpleasantly rough and jarring to the sense, For
example,
This tired strategy of using old tensions to
scapegoat other countries wont work anymore in
Iran.
The last issue discussed by Obama in the speech is
about the ideology of liberalism. His speech takes
protecting and enhancing the freedom of the individual
to be the central problem.
Weve seen people of all ages risk everything to
insist that their votes are counted and that their
voices are heard.
Obama manifests his ideology of freedom of
speech and justice as it can be seen from the
lines.
The Iranian people have a universal right to
assembly and free speech. If the Iranian
government
seeks
the
respect
of
the
international community, it must respect those
rights and heed the will of its own people. There
is a continuous shift in the ideological standpoint of the

Obama administration. Virtues like liberty and justice is

embraced by Obama throughout the speech.
Material Process:
Material process is a process of doing, the process is
usually indicated by a verb expressing an action, either
concrete or abstract. There are usually two participants
in the process: Actor and Goal. Actor is comparable to
subject and goal is comparable to the object and both
of them are usually realized by noun phrases.
Material Process Analysis of Speech:
ACTOR
PROCESS
GOAL
1. I
Addressing
Issues
2. I
Say
Situation in Iran
3. I
condemn
unjust actions.
4. I
join
mourning
5. I
respects
Iran
6. We
witness
courage and
dignity of Iranian
7. We
deplore
violence against
innocent civilians.
8. We
watched
Iranian
people.
9. We
seen
Iranians
marching in silence.

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Modality Analysis:
Modality refers to a speakers attitudes towards or
opinions about the truth of a proposition expressed by a
sentence. It also extends to their attitudes towards the
situation or event described by a sentence.
Modal Verbs
Positive Politeness
Negative Politeness.
Would, Must
Wont
Positive politeness can be seen in the last paragraph
as,
If the Iranian government seeks the respect of
the international community, it (must) respect
those rights and head the will of its own people.
Textual Analysis:
The textual analysis of the speech refers that the whole
text is coherent, organized, accurate and logical. So, it
can help persuade the public to accept and support
Obamas vision. The speech consists of both ingroup
and outgroup elements. There is emphasis on many
elements for example when Obama is talking about the
unjust actions taking place in Iran. There is also
topicalization and detailed description. There is also
some vague description e.g.
Some in Iran - Some in the Iranian government,
in particular, are trying to avoid that debate by
accusing the United States and others in the
West of instigating protests over the election

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Stress and intonation is

example.
Stress:
1. ............. have been
(threats) and the
last few days.
2. Thats what (Irans
for...........

also present in the speech for

(appalled) and (outraged) by

(beating) and imprisonment in
Intonation:
own people)
are calling

Conclusion:
Obama used more simple words and short sentences
instead of difficult ones. His language is easy and
colloquial. Thus, it can easily shorten the distance
between him and the audience. From the transitivity
analysis, we can see material process, a process of
doing. Modality analysis refers to a speakers attitudes.
Through the analysis of modality, we can find that
Obama made his audience more easily to understand
and accept his speech by means of modal verb and
person pronouns. By using first person pronouns, he
successfully shortened the distance between him and
the audience. So, it can help him persuade the public to
accept and support his ideology.