Luận văn thạc sĩ textual metafunctionin inaugural speeches of american presidents

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY NGUYỄN THỊ HOÀNG DIN TEXTUAL METAFUNCTION IN INAUGURAL SPEECHES OF AMERICAN PRESIDENTS Field: English Linguistics Code: 8.22.02.01 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền e BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN NGUYỄN THỊ HOÀNG DIN SIÊU CHỨC NĂNG VĂN BẢN TRONG CÁC BÀI PHÁT BIỂU NHẬM CHỨC CỦA CÁC TỔNG THỐNG MỸ Chuyên ngành: Ngôn ngữ Anh Mã số: 8.22.02.01 Người hướng dẫn: PGS TS Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền e i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby certify that this thesis “Textual Metafunction in Inaugural speeches of American Presidents” is my own research The data and findings stated in the thesis are true and have never been published by anyone in any other works, except where the reference is indicated in the study Binh Dinh, 2020 Nguyễn Thị Hoàng Din e ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In order to complete this thesis, it is not only my efforts but also other assistance of individuals to whom I really want to offer my deepest gratitude First and foremost, I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude and sincere to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền for her valuable comments on my thesis Thanks to her great experience and expertise in Systemic Functional Grammar, she has supported me with her thoughtful guidance, comprehensive advice and patience throughout the whole period of the study Without her instructions, my thesis would have been impossible to be completed in the best way Secondly, my gratitude is devoted to all the lecturers of the courses who have conveyed their valuable lectures and experiences That is the essential knowledge base for this thesis Thirdly, I also want to thank my close friends and colleagues for their encouragement and support Without them, maybe I could not have overcome all the trouble during this journey Last but not least, I am deeply thankful to my family Although they did not provide me knowledge, they are my greatest spiritual support throughout the course of Master degree in English Linguistics and especially during the fulfillment of this study e iii ABSTRACT Language is a useful and powerful tool which helps the leaders express their views about their country, society, and people, especially in political field Based on Halliday’s theory (1994), this study identifies and analyzes Textual metafunction via Theme – Rheme structure and Thematic progression which occur in five Inaugural speeches of American Presidents Qualitative and quantitative methods are mainly used to analyze the data In the field of Theme – Rheme structure, the findings show that beside the compulsory Theme – Topical Themes, Textual Themes occurs with high percentage, whereas Interpersonal Themes is found at a small rate in the data With regard to Theme progression, Constant Theme and Linear Theme patterns are predominant while Split Rheme and Derived Theme patterns account for the small percentage Besides, Out of progression Theme pattern is also found with the high percentage in the data Another interesting finding found in the study is the similarities and differences in distribution of three categories of Theme and four types of Theme progression in five speeches Although there are some similarities and differences, it cannot be denied that Theme – Rheme structure and Thematic progression in all five speeches is great importance in making speeches more attractive and coherent e iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aim and objectives 1.2.1 Aim of the study 1.2.2 Objectives of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Organization of the study CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Previous relevant studies 2.2 Overview of Systemic Functional Grammar 2.3 Textual metafunction 11 2.3.1 Theme – Rheme structure 11 2.3.2 Thematic progression 21 2.3 Political speech 26 e v CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 28 3.1 Research Methods 28 3.2 Research Procedures 29 3.3 Data Collection 30 3.4 Data Analysis 31 3.5 Reliability and Validity 31 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 33 4.1 Types of Theme in Presidents’ Inaugural speeches 33 4.1.1 Topical Themes 35 4.1.2 Interpersonal elements as Theme in Inaugural speeches of American Presidents 40 4.1.3 Textual Themes in Inaugural speeches of American Presidents 43 4.2 Similarities and differences in terms of Theme types used by five Presidents 46 4.2.1 Topical Themes in five Inaugural speeches 46 4.2.2 Interpersonal Themes in five Inaugural speeches 49 4.2.3 Similarities and differences of Textual Themes used in five Inaugural speeches 51 4.3 Thematic progression in American Presidents’ Inaugural speeches 53 4.3.1 Constant Theme progression 55 4.3.2 Linear Theme progression 57 4.3.3 Split Rheme progression 58 4.3.4 Derived Theme progression 59 4.3.5 Out of progression Theme patterns 60 4.4 Similarities and differences of Theme progression in five Inaugural speeches 61 e vi CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 64 5.1 Summary of Findings 64 5.2 Implications of the study 66 5.3 Limitations of the study 67 5.4 Suggestions for further research 67 REFERENCES 69 APPENDIX e vii LIST OF TABLES Number Name of tables Page 4.1 Distribution rate of Theme elements in Presidents’ 34 Inaugural speeches 4.2 Occurrences of Interpersonal elements in the data 40 4.3 Frequency of Textual Themes in the data 43 4.4 Occurrences of Interpersonal elements in five 49 Frequency of types of Theme Progression in five 62 Inaugural speeches 4.5 Inaugural speeches e viii LIST OF FIGURES Number Name of figures Page 4.1 Frequency of Topical Themes in Inaugural speeches of 36 American Presidents 4.2 Distribution of Topical Themes in five Inaugural 47 speeches of American Presidents 4.3 Occurrences of types of Textual Themes in five 51 Inaugural speeches 4.4 Frequency of types of Theme progression in Inaugural speeches of American Presidents e 54 68 Thirdly, researchers can the comparative study on the Thematic features on Inaugural speeches and another type of speech (e.g Economic speech, Motivational speech, Persuasive speech, etc.) Finally, further researches on the semantic aspects of the Thematic structure are needed besides the semantic roles and the semantic relations between Theme and Rheme in English and Vietnamese clause as well as in inaugural speeches e 69 REFERENCES A ENGLISH [1] Beard, A (2000) The Language of Politics London: Routledge [2] Bloor, T., & Bloor, M (1995) The Functional Analysis of English London: Edward Arnold [3] Bloor, T., & Bloor, M (2004) The Functional Analysis of English: A Hallidayan Approach (Second Edition) (2nd ed.) London: Arnold [4] Butt, D., Fahey, R., Feez, S., Spinks, S., & Yallop, C (2000) Using Functional Grammar: An Explorer’s Guide (Second Edition) In Macquarie University (2nd ed.) Sydney: Macquarie University [5] Charteris-Black, J (2005) Politicians and Rhetoric: The Persuasive Power of Metaphor Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, New York: Palgrave Macmillan [6] Danes, F (1974) Functional Sentence Perspective and the Organization of Text In F Danes (Eds.), Papers in Functional Sentence Perspective Prague: Academia [7] Dubois, B L (1987) A reformation of Thematic progression typology Text, (7/2), 89–116 [8] Dương Thị Việt Hà (2018) Interpersonal Features of Hillary’s and Trump’s speeches: A comparative study M.A Thesis Quy Nhon University [9] Eggin, S (1994) An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics London: Continuum Wellington House [10] Eggins, S (2004) An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics (2nd ed.) London: Continuum e 70 [11] Lê Thị Bích Thủy (2015) A comparative study of Thematic features of English new reports and editorials M.A Thesis Quy Nhon University [12] Halliday, M A K (1967) Notes on transitivity and theme in English: Part Journal of Linguistics, 3(2), 199–244 [13] Halliday, M.A.K (1985) An Introduction to Functional Grammar London: Edward Arnold [14] Halliday, M A K (1994) An Introduction to Functional Grammar (2nd ed.) London: Edward Arnold [15] Halliday, M A K., & Matthiessen, C M I M (2004) An Introduction to Functional Grammar (3rd ed.) London: Hodder Arnold [16] Halliday, M A K., & Matthiessen, C M I M (2014) Halliday’s Introduction to Functional Grammar (4th ed.) London: Routledge [17] Horak, R (2007) Webster’s New World - Telecom Dictionary Canada: Wiley Publishing, Inc [18] Mathiesen, K., & Fallis, D (2017) Ethics in Politics: The Rights and Obligations of Individual Political Agents (E Crookston, D Killoren, & J Trerise, Eds.) Routledge [19] Nguyễn Thị Hạ (2014) An investigation into the Thematic structures of Songs used in English and Vietnamese Advertisements M.A Thesis Quy Nhon University [20] Nguyễn Thị Hạnh (2012) An Investigation into the Structure of Theme and Rheme in English and Vietnamese Political Speeches M.A Thesis Da Nang University [21] Nguyễn Thị Hoàng My (2019) A Study on Linguistic Features in TED Talks on Education from the Perspective of Functional Grammar M.A Thesis Quy Nhon University e 71 [22] Nguyễn Thị Minh Ngân (2016) Persuasion in Advertising Slogans from Perspective of Systemic Functional Grammar M.A Thesis Quy Nhon University [23] Nguyễn Thị Nguyệt Minh (2011) An investigation into the System of Theme and Rheme in Electronic New Headlines: the Case of BBC New Headlines M.A Thesis Vietnam National University [24] Phạm Thị Mỹ Nhân (2015) A study on Linguistic Features of English World Cup Reports from Functional Grammar perspective M.A Thesis Quy Nhon University [25] Phan Thị Kim Cúc (2014) An investigation into Thematic structures in English and Vietnamese Humorous stories M.A Thesis Quy Nhon University [26] Ye, R (2010) The Interpersonal Metafunction Analysis of Barack Obama's Victory Speech Journal of English Language Teaching, 3(2), 146–151 [27] Yang, H (2017) The Interpersonal Metafunction Analysis of Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, 3(1), 27–31 [28] Zeng, Z (2019) A Comparative Study of Interpersonal Function in Political Speeches - A Case Study of Inaugural Speeches by Theresa May and David Cameron Theory and Practice in Language Studies B VIETNAMESE [29] Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền (2008) Cấu trúc Đề - Thuyết tin Tiếng Anh Tiếng Việt Luận án tiến sĩ Ngữ Văn, Trường ĐHKHXH & NV TP.HCM e PL - APPENDIX Inaugural speech of Donald Trump (2017) TYPES OF THEME Elliptical clauses have no Thematic structures, so they are not analyzed into Theme – Rheme But in order not to change the content of speech, Elliptical clauses are marked of using [ ] THEME Cl Textual personal RHEME Topical Theme Inter- Marked Unmarked [Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: Thank you.] We, the are now joined in a great national citizens of effort to rebuild our country and to America, restore its promise for all of our people Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come We will face challenges We will confront hardships But6 we will get the job done Every four we gather on these steps to carry out years, the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition They have been magnificent Today’s however, has very special meaning [Thank you.] ceremony, 10 Because today but we are transferring power from we are not Washington, D.C and giving it back merely to you, the American People e PL - transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another – 11 a small group in our nation’s Capital For too long, has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost Washington flourished – but1 the people did not share in its wealth 14 Politicians prospered – 15 but1 the jobs left, 16 and the factories closed 17 The protected itself, but not the citizens of establishment our country 12 13 18 Their victories have not been your victories; 19 their triumphs have not been your triumphs; 20 and while they there was little to celebrate for celebrated in struggling families all across our our nation’s land capital, 21 That all because this moment is your moment: changes – starting right here, and right now, 22 23 it belongs to you It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America 24 This is your day 25 This is your celebration 26 And this, the United is your country States of e PL - America, 27 28 but What truly is not which party controls our matters government, whether our is controlled by the people government 29 January 20th will be remembered as the day the 2017, people became the rulers of this nation again 30 The forgotten will be forgotten no longer men and women of our country 31 Everyone is listening to you now 32 You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before 33 At the center is a crucial conviction: that a nation of this exists to serve its citizens movement 34 Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves 35 These are the just and reasonable demands of a righteous public 36 But4 for too many a different reality exists: Mothers and of our citizens, children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential e PL - 37 This American stops right here and stops right now carnage We are one nation – their pain is our pain Their dreams are our dreams; and their success will be our success We share one heart, one home, and one 38 39 and 40 41 42 glorious destiny 43 The oath of is an oath of allegiance to all office I take Americans today 44 For many we’ve enriched foreign industry at the decades, expense of American industry [Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military.] 45 We‘ve while refusing to defend our own defended other nation’s borders [And spent trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.] 46 47 We‘ve made while the wealth, strength, and other countries confidence of our country has rich disappeared over the horizon One by one shuttered and left our shores, with not the factories even a thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind 48 The wealth of has been ripped from their homes and our middle then redistributed across the entire class world 49 But5 that is the past 50 And now we are looking only to the future We assembled are issuing a new decree to be heard here today in every city, in every foreign capital, 51 and in every hall of power 52 From this day e a new vision will govern our land PL - forward, 53 it’s going to be America First From this moment on, 54 Every decision will be made to benefit American on trade, on workers and American families taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, 55 We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs 56 Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength 57 I will fight for you with every breath in my body – 58 and 59 I will never, ever let you down America will start winning again, winning like never before 60 We will bring back our jobs 61 We will bring back our borders 62 We will bring back our wealth we will bring back our dreams We will build new roads, and highways, 63 64 And and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation 65 We will get our people off of welfare and back to work – rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor 66 We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and hire American 67 We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world – 68 but7 we e so with the understanding that it is PL - the right of all nations to put their own interests first 69 We not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow 70 We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones – and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth 71 72 and At the bedrock will be a total allegiance to the of our politics United States of America, through our we will rediscover our loyalty to each loyalty to our other country, 73 When you there is no room for prejudice open your heart to patriotism, 74 The Bible tells us, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” 75 We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity 76 When America is totally unstoppable America is united, 77 There should be no fear – 78 we are protected, 79 and we will always be protected 80 We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement 81 and, most we importantly, e are protected by God PL - 82 Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger 83 In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving 84 We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action – constantly complaining but never doing anything about it 85 The time for is over empty talk 86 Now arrives the hour of action 87 Do not it let anyone tell you cannot be done 88 No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America 89 We will not fail 90 Our country will thrive and prosper again 91 We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow 92 93 1 A new will stir our souls, lift our sights, and national pride heal our divisions It is time to old wisdom our soldiers will never remember that forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath e PL - of life by the same almighty Creator 94 So1 to all hear these words: Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, and from ocean to ocean, 95 You will never be ignored again 96 Your voice, will define our American destiny your hopes, and your dreams 97 And your courage will forever guide us along the way and goodness and love 98 99 we will make America strong again We will makfe wealthy again 100 We will make America proud again 101 We will make America safe again we will make America great again God bless you God Bless America 102 Together, And yes, together, [Thank you.] 103 104 And TYPES OF THEME PROGRESSION (T5) Cl T1 R1 Cl T6 R6 Cl T2 R2 Cl T7 R7 Cl T3 R3 Cl T8 R8 Cl T4 R4 Cl T9 R9 Cl T5 R5 Cl 10 T10 R10 e PL - Cl 11 T11 R11 Cl 34 T34 R34 Cl 12 T12 R12 Cl 35 T35 R35 Cl 13 T13 R13 Cl 36 T36 R36 Cl 14 T14 R14 Cl 37 T37 R37 Cl 15 T15 R15 Cl 38 T38 R38 Cl 16 T16 R16 Cl 39 T39 R39 Cl 17 T17 R17 Cl 40 T40 R40 Cl 18 T18 R18 Cl 41 T41 R41 Cl 19 T19 R19 Cl 42 T42 R42 Cl 20 T20 R20 Cl 43 T43 R43 Cl 21 T21 R21 Cl 44 T44 R44 Cl 22 T22 R22 Cl 45 T45 R45 Cl 23 T23 R23 Cl 46 T46 R46 Cl 24 T24 R24 Cl 47 T47 R47 Cl 25 T25 R25 Cl 48 T48 R48 Cl 26 T26 R26 Cl 49 T49 R49 Cl 27 T27 R27 Cl 50 T50 R50 Cl 28 T28 R28 Cl 51 T51 R51 Cl 29 T29 R29 Cl 52 T52 R52 Cl 30 T30 R30 Cl 53 T53 R53 Cl 31 T31 R31 Cl 54 T54 R54 Cl 32 T32 R32 Cl 55 T55 R55 Cl 33 T33 R33 Cl 56 T56 R56 e PL - 10 Cl 57 T57 R57 Cl 80 T80 R80 Cl 58 T58 R58 Cl 81 T81 R81 Cl 59 T59 R59 Cl 82 T82 R82 Cl 60 T60 R60 Cl 83 T83 R83 Cl 61 T61 R61 Cl 84 T84 R84 Cl 62 T62 R62 Cl 85 T85 R85 Cl 63 T63 R63 Cl 86 T86 R86 Cl 64 T64 R64 Cl 87 T87 R87 Cl 65 T65 R65 Cl 88 T88 R88 Cl 66 T66 R66 Cl 89 T89 R89 Cl 67 T67 R67 Cl 90 T90 R90 Cl 68 T68 R68 Cl 91 T91 R91 Cl 69 T69 R69 Cl 92 T92 R92 Cl 70 T70 R70 Cl 93 T93 R93 Cl 71 T71 R71 Cl 94 T94 R94 Cl 72 T72 R72 Cl 95 T95 R95 Cl 73 T73 R73 Cl 96 T96 R96 Cl 74 T74 R74 Cl 97 T97 R97 Cl 75 T75 R75 Cl 98 T98 R98 Cl 76 T76 R76 Cl 99 T99 R99 Cl 77 T77 R77 Cl 100 T100 R100 Cl 78 T78 R78 Cl 101 T101 R101 Cl 79 T79 R79 Cl 102 T102 R102 e PL - 11 Cl 103 T103 R103 Cl 104 T104 R104 e ... Frequency of Topical Themes in Inaugural speeches of 36 American Presidents 4.2 Distribution of Topical Themes in five Inaugural 47 speeches of American Presidents 4.3 Occurrences of types of Textual. .. support the intention of this research, I used the data which are Inaugural Speeches of American Presidents The data for analysis – five Inaugural speeches of five American Presidents were collected... five American Presidents are indicated 4.1 Types of Theme in Presidents? ?? Inaugural speeches The data analysis of this study is concerned Theme – Rheme found in five Inaugural speeches of five American