A critical discourse analysis on non canonical constructions in some speeches delivered by president obama in some different social affairs

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES *** BÙI THỊ ANH VÂN A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON NON-CANONICAL CONSTRUCTIONS IN SOME SPEECHES DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA IN SOME DIFFERENT SOCIAL AFFAIRS PHÂN TÍCH DIỄN NGÔN PHÊ PHÁN VỀ CÁC CẤU TRÚC PHI QUY PHẠM TRONG MỘT SỐ BÀI PHÁT BIỂU CỦA TỔNG THỐNG OBAMA TRONG NHỮNG VẤN ĐỀ XÃ HỘI KHÁC NHAU M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Linguistics Code : 60.220.201 HANOI - 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES *** BÙI THỊ ANH VÂN A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON NON-CANONICAL CONSTRUCTIONS IN SOME SPEECHES DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA IN SOME DIFFERENT SOCIAL AFFAIRS PHÂN TÍCH DIỄN NGƠN PHÊ PHÁN VỀ CÁC CẤU TRÚC PHI QUY PHẠM TRONG MỘT SỐ BÀI PHÁT BIỂU CỦA TỔNG THỐNG OBAMA TRONG NHỮNG VẤN ĐỀ XÃ HỘI KHÁC NHAU M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Linguistics Code : 60.220.201 Supervisor : Assoc Prof Dr Võ Đại Quang HANOI - 2016 CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “A Critical Discourse Analysis on noncanonical constructions in some speeches delivered by President Obama in some different social affairs” is my own study in the fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT For the completion of this thesis, I have been fortunate to receive invaluable contributions from many people First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Associate Professor, Dr Võ Đại Quang for his hearty guidance and his valuable criticism, detailed comments and corrections, without which the work would not have been completed My thanks also go to my Dean, my Head of Division and my colleagues at Faculty of English, Hanoi National University of Education whose supports undeniably help me concentrate on my thesis Last but not least, I would love to show my gratitude to my mother, who always gives me endless encouragement and takes pride in her daughter Without all of them, this thesis could not have been completed ii ABSTRACT This paper critically analyzes some non-canonical constructions in some chosen speeches of Mr President from Critical Discourse Analysis perspective according to Van Dijk‟s socio-cognitive approach In the analysis of model contexts, the researcher provided readers with context of three speeches to describe the historical, social as well as political reasons for the speeches to be delivered including: Obama inaugural address in 2009, Jewish American Heritage Month, and Civil Society Forum in 10 April 2015, Panama City, Panama The thesis has found out that Obama mostly uses passivization structures in order to hide the agents of the actions, which in other words helps focus on the victims and their hardship The use of ideological square as well as non-canonical constructions together reflects his ideology on both “us” and “them” sides Besides, Obama also employs other non-canonical constructions like left dislocation or inversion Through the critical analysis of these talks, it is clear that language can be a powerful tool to transmit ideas iii TABLE OF CONTENT CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Significance of the study Scope of the study Objectives and aims of the study Methods Background of data Design of study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 An overview about critical discourse analysis 1.1.1 Definition of discourse 1.1.2 Three levels of a discourse 1.1.3 The Socio-Cognitive Approach to CDA 1.1.4 Social cognition: ideology and “Ideological square” and syntax 10 1.2 An overview about non-canonical constructions 11 1.2.1 Discourse and information structures 11 1.2.2 Sentential-level information structure 11 1.2.3 Canonical and Non-canonical constructions 12 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 19 CHAPTER 3: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON NONCANONICAL CONSTRUCTIONS IN SPEECHES DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA IN DIFFERENT SOCIAL AFFAIRS 21 3.1 A critical discourse analysis on non-canonical constructions in Obama inaugural address in 2009 21 3.1.1 Context model 21 3.1.2 An analysis of semantic macrostructures and social cognition: ideology through the analysis of local meanings 21 iv 3.2 A critical discourse analysis on non-canonical constructions in remarks by the President on Jewish American Heritage Month 26 3.2.1 Context model 26 2.2.2 An analysis of semantic macrostructures and social cognition: ideology through the analysis of local meanings 26 3.3 A critical discourse analysis on non-canonical constructions in Civil Society Forum Address delivered 10 April 2015, Panama City, Panama 31 3.3.1 Context model 31 3.3.2 An analysis of semantic macrostructures and social cognition: ideology through the analysis of local meanings 32 PART C: CONCLUSION 37 Summary of findings 37 Concluding remarks 39 Limitations and suggestions for further study 40 REFERENCES APPENDIX APPENDIX APPENDIX v PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale The relationship between discourse and ideology has always been an interesting topic, and it is also the duty of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to discover this relationship In the past twenty years, CDA developed quickly all over the world A large number of scholars have made contributions in the fields of critical analysis of political discourse, especially Wodak, Jager, Scollon, Fairclough One of these great analysts is Van Dijk, a pioneer who developed the social-cognitive approach in which an important dimension incorporated is that of human mind He assumes that social cognitive is the bridge between discourse and society It can be understood that the intentional utility of text structures can reflect the ideology of the speaker or writer and his society or the social context when the text was produced It could be considered syntax a part of text structures in discourse As cited in Van Dijk (2011), the ideological implications of syntactic sentence structures referred to in the literature are familiar For example, it has often been shown that word order as well as transactional structures of sentences may code for underlying semantic (or indeed, cognitive) agency (Fowler et al., 1979; Kress & Hodge, 1993) In general, at least in English, responsible agency is associated with grammatical subject, and initial position, or information structures This means that ideologically monitored opinions about responsibility for socially positive or negative acts may be differentially expressed in different syntactic forms In terms of information structures, a text is the combination of both canonical constructions and non-canonical constructions Therefore, the users can employ these constructions on purpose Hence, an analysis on the use of noncanonical construction could shed light to the journey to figure out the ideology of speakers The objective of CDA is public speech, such as advertisements, newspaper, articles, political propagandas, official documents, laws, regulations and so on Its aim is to explore the relationships among language, ideology and power Therefore, politics is the field that is mainly focused Among all the influential speakers of the time, President Obama has been a phenomenon, for he was the first black President of the United State During his Presidency, he has delivered hundreds of speeches in public about different social affairs As a lawyer and a politician, he has a talent for word utility to influence his fellowmen; therefore, the critical discourse analysis of his speeches is worth doing to discover his ideology In short, the objective of this paper is to critically analyze some noncanonical constructions in some chosen speeches of Mr President according to Van Dijk‟s socio-cognitive approach It is expected that, after the analysis, we can understand more about the hidden messages delivered in the chosen political discourse by applying the theories on CDA of Van Dijk Significance of the study The critical discourse analysis of different politic-related speeches is not an unfamiliar topic for research Especially, speeches delivered by President Obama are always the objectives to be critically analyzed because of his worldwide reputation However, not much research is conducted to analyze his employment of the information structures, non-canonical constructions in particular from the perspective of critical discourse analysis Therefore, it is expected that thanks to the objectives of only investigating use of non-canonical constructions, the researcher can make the critical discourse analysis of speeches by President Obama deeper, more careful and more successful Scope of the study The analysis of President Obama‟s speeches is confined to verbal aspects of the documents and some features of the historical context at the time of the speeches although the analyst is well aware that paralinguistic and extra linguistic factors are of certain importance in the discourse Particularly speaking, this research studies non-canonical constructions of sentential information structures in three speeches delivered by President Obama in three different social affairs 1- Obama inaugural address in 2009 2- Remarks by the President on Jewish American Heritage Month 3- Civil Society Forum Address delivered 10 April 2015, Panama City, Panama Objectives and aims of the study This research aims at enhancing language competence of language learners by raising their awareness of understanding the grammatical structures on the surface of language and explaining speaker‟s choice of linguistic features The researcher, as a language teachers also wants to raise students‟ critical thinking through explicit teaching of some techniques of critical discourse analysis In order to achieve these aims, the research‟s objectives is to discover the relations among language, power, and ideology, especially the relations between language and ideology, then find out how the ideas of the speaker are implied by the language he uses and prove why he uses non-canonical constructions as a tool of action To fulfill these purposes, the following questions should be answered: 1) What and how is the ideology of President Obama reflected via his employment of non-canonical constructions in his speeches? 2) What is the relationship between non-canonical constructions, their producers and consumers and the social environment in which text production and interpretation occur? Methods This study is based on the analytical framework created by Van Dijk It consists of three discourse analysis stages: Investigate the context model, find out the semantic macrostructures, and investigate social cognition: ideology APPENDIX Obama Inaugural Address, 20th January 2009 My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents So it has been So it must be with this generation of Americans That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real They are serious and they are many They will not be met easily or in a short span of time But know this, America they will be met On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given It must be earned Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction This is the journey we continue today We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year Our capacity remains undiminished But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America For everywhere we look, there is work to be done The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age All this we can And all this we will Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans Their memories are short For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward Where the answer is no, programs will end And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to as we please Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint We are the keepers of this legacy Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan With old friends and former foes, we‟ll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect For the world has changed, and we must change with it As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all For as much as government can and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate Our challenges may be new The instruments with which we meet them may be new But those values upon which our success depends - honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old These things are true They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history What is demanded then is a return to these truths What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task This is the price and the promise of citizenship This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river The capital was abandoned The enemy was advancing The snow was stained with blood At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]." America In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations Thank you God bless you and God bless the United States of America APPENDIX Remarks by the President on Jewish American Heritage Month Well, good morning, everybody! Audience: Good morning! President Obama: A slightly early Shabbat Shalom I want to thank Rabbi Steinlauf for the very kind introduction And to all the members of the congregation, thank you so much for such an extraordinary and warm welcome I want to thank a couple of outstanding members of Congress who are here Senator Michael Bennet where did Michael Bennet go? There he is And Representative Sandy Levin, who is here I want to thank our special envoy to combat anti-Semitism, Ira Forman, for his important work There he is But as I said, most of all I want to thank the entire congregation of Adas Israel for having me here today Earlier this week, I was actually interviewed by one of your members, Jeff Goldberg And Jeff reminded me that he once called me “the first Jewish President.” Now, since some people still seem to be wondering about my faith I should make clear this was an honorary title But I was flattered And as an honorary member of the tribe, not to mention somebody who‟s hosted seven White House Seders and been advised by and been advised by two Jewish chiefs of staff, I can also proudly say that I‟m getting a little bit of the hang of the lingo But I will not use any of the Yiddish-isms that Rahm Emanuel taught me because I want to be invited back Let‟s just say he had some creative new synonyms for “Shalom.” Now, I wanted to come here to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month because this congregation, like so many around the country, helps us to tell the American story And back in 1876, when President Grant helped dedicate Adas Israel, he became the first sitting President in history to attend a synagogue service And at the time, it was an extraordinarily symbolic gesture not just for America, but for the world And think about the landscape of Jewish history Tomorrow night, the holiday of Shavuot marks the moment that Moses received the Torah at Mount Sinai, the first link in a chain of tradition that stretches back thousands of years, and a foundation stone for our civilization Yet for most of those years, Jews were persecuted not embraced by those in power Many of your ancestors came here fleeing that persecution The United States could have been merely another destination in that ongoing Diaspora But those who came here found that America was more than just a country America was an idea America stood for something As George Washington wrote to the Jews of Newport, Rhode Island: The United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” It‟s important for us to acknowledge that too often in our history we fell short of those lofty ideals in the legal subjugation of African Americans, through slavery and Jim Crow; the treatment of Native Americans And far too often, American Jews faced the scourge of anti-Semitism here at home But our founding documents gave us a North Star, our Bill of Rights; our system of government gave us a capacity for change And where other nations actively and legally might persecute or discriminate against those of different faiths, this nation was called upon to see all of us as equal before the eyes of the law When other countries treated their own citizens as “wretched refuse,” we lifted up our lamp beside the golden door and welcomed them in Our country is immeasurably stronger because we did From Einstein to Brandeis, from Jonas Salk to Betty Friedan, American Jews have made contributions to this country that have shaped it in every aspect And as a community, American Jews have helped make our union more perfect The story of Exodus inspired oppressed people around the world in their own struggles for civil rights From the founding members of the NAACP to a freedom summer in Mississippi, from women‟s rights to gay rights to workers' rights, Jews took the heart of Biblical edict that we must not oppress a stranger, having been strangers once ourselves Earlier this year, when we marked the 50th anniversary of the march in Selma, we remembered the iconic images of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marching with Dr King, praying with his feet To some, it must have seemed strange that a rabbi from Warsaw would take such great risks to stand with a Baptist preacher from Atlanta But Heschel explained that their cause was one and the same In his essay, “No Religion is an Island,” he wrote, “We must choose between interfaith and inter-nihilism.” Between a shared hope that says together we can shape a brighter future, or a shared cynicism that says our world is simply beyond repair So the heritage we celebrate this month is a testament to the power of hope Me standing here before you, all of you in this incredible congregation is a testament to the power of hope It‟s a rebuke to cynicism It‟s a rebuke to nihilism And it inspires us to have faith that our future, like our past, will be shaped by the values that we share At home, those values compel us to work to keep alive the American Dream of opportunity for all It means that we care about issues that affect all children, not just our own; that we‟re prepared to invest in early childhood education; that we are concerned about making college affordable; that we want to create communities where if you‟re willing to work hard, you can get ahead the way so many who fled and arrived on these shores were able to get ahead Around the world, those values compel us to redouble our efforts to protect our planet and to protect the human rights of all who share this planet It‟s particularly important to remember now, given the tumult that is taking place in so many corners of the globe, in one of the world‟s most dangerous neighborhoods, those shared values compel us to reaffirm that our enduring friendship with the people of Israel and our unbreakable bonds with the state of Israel that those bonds, that friendship cannot be broken Those values compel us to say that our commitment to Israel‟s security and my commitment to Israel‟s security is and always will be unshakeable And I‟ve said this before: It would be a moral failing on the part of the U.S government and the American people, it would be a moral failing on my part if we did not stand up firmly, steadfastly not just on behalf of Israel‟s right to exist, but its right to thrive and prosper Because it would ignore the history that brought the state of Israel about It would ignore the struggle that‟s taken place through millennia to try to affirm the kinds of values that say everybody has a place, everybody has rights, everybody is a child of God As many of you know, I‟ve visited the houses hit by rocket fire in Sderot I‟ve been to Yad Vashem and made that solemn vow: “Never forget Never again.” When someone threatens Israel‟s citizens or its very right to exist, Israelis necessarily that seriously And so I Today, the military and intelligence cooperation between our two countries is stronger than ever Our support of the Iron Dome‟s rocket system has saved Israeli lives And I can say that no U.S President, no administration has done more to ensure that Israel can protect itself than this one As part of that commitment, there‟s something else that the United States and Israel agrees on: Iran must not, under any circumstances, be allowed to get a nuclear weapon Now, there‟s a debate about how to achieve that and that's a healthy debate I‟m not going to use my remaining time to go too deep into policy although for those of you who are interested we have a lot of material out there But I want everybody to just remember a few key things The deal that we already reached with Iran has already halted or rolled back parts of Iran‟s nuclear program Now we‟re seeking a comprehensive solution I will not accept a bad deal As I pointed out in my most recent article with Jeff Goldberg, this deal will have my name on it, so nobody has a bigger personal stake in making sure that it delivers on its promise I want a good deal I'm interested in a deal that blocks every single one of Iran‟s pathways to a nuclear weapon every single path A deal that imposes unprecedented inspections on all elements of Iran‟s nuclear program, so that they can‟t cheat; and if they try to cheat, we will immediately know about it and sanctions snap back on A deal that endures beyond a decade; that addresses this challenge for the long term In other words, a deal that makes the world and the region including Israel more secure That‟s how I define a good deal I can‟t stand here today and guarantee an agreement will be reached We‟re hopeful We‟re working hard But nothing is agreed until everything is agreed And I‟ve made clear that when it comes to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, all options are and will remain on the table Moreover, even if we get a good deal, there remains the broader issue of Iran‟s support for terrorism and regional destabilization, and ugly threats against Israel And that‟s why our strategic partnership with Israel will remain, no matter what happens in the days and years ahead And that‟s why the people of Israel must always know America has its back, and America will always have its back Now, that does not mean that there will not be, or should not be, periodic disagreements between our two governments There will be disagreements on tactics when it comes to how to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and that is entirely appropriate and should be fully aired Because the stakes are sufficiently high that anything that's proposed has to be subjected to scrutiny and I welcome that scrutiny But there are also going to be some disagreements rooted in shared history that go beyond tactics, that are rooted in how we might remain true to our shared values I came to know Israel as a young man through these incredible images of kibbutzim, and Moshe Dayan, and Golda Meir, and Israel overcoming incredible odds in the ‟67 war The notion of pioneers who set out not only to safeguard a nation, but to remake the world Not only to make the desert bloom, but to allow their values to flourish; to ensure that the best of Judaism would thrive And those values in many ways came to be my own values They believed the story of their people gave them a unique perspective among the nations of the world, a unique moral authority and responsibility that comes from having once been a stranger yourself And to a young man like me, grappling with his own identity, recognizing the scars of race here in this nation, inspired by the civil rights struggle, the idea that you could be grounded in your history, as Israel was, but not be trapped by it, to be able to repair the world that idea was liberating The example of Israel and its values was inspiring So when I hear some people say that disagreements over policy belie a general lack of support of Israel, I must object, and I object forcefully For us to paper over difficult questions, particularly about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or about settlement policy, that‟s not a true measure of friendship Before I came out here, the Rabbi showed me the room that‟s been built to promote scholarship and dialogue, and to be able to find how we make our shared values live And the reason you have that room is because applying those values to our lives is often hard, and it involves difficult choices That‟s why we study That‟s why it‟s not just a formula And that‟s what we have to as nations as well as individuals We have to grapple and struggle with how we apply the values that we care about to this very challenging and dangerous world And it is precisely because I care so deeply about the state of Israel it‟s precisely because, yes, I have high expectations for Israel the same way I have high expectations for the United States of America that I feel a responsibility to speak out honestly about what I think will lead to long-term security and to the preservation of a true democracy in the Jewish homeland And I believe that‟s two states for two peoples, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security Just as Israelis built a state in their homeland, Palestinians have a right to be a free people on their land, as well Now, I want to emphasize that‟s not easy The Palestinians are not the easiest of partners The neighborhood is dangerous And we cannot expect Israel to take existential risks with their security so that any deal that takes place has to take into account the genuine dangers of terrorism and hostility But it is worthwhile for us to keep up the prospect, the possibility of bridging divides and being just, and looking squarely at what‟s possible but also necessary in order for Israel to be the type of nation that it was intended to be in its earliest founding And that same sense of shared values also compel me to speak out compel all of us to speak out against the scourge of anti-Semitism wherever it exists I want to be clear that, to me, all these things are connected The rights I insist upon and now fight for, for all people here in the United States compels me then to stand up for Israel and look out for the rights of the Jewish people And the rights of the Jewish people then compel me to think about a Palestinian child in Ramallah that feels trapped without opportunity That‟s what Jewish values teach me That‟s what the Judeo-Christian tradition teaches me These things are connected And in recent years, we‟ve seen a deeply disturbing rise in anti-Semitism in parts of the world where it would have seemed unthinkable just a few years or decades ago This is not some passing fad; these aren‟t just isolated phenomenon And we know from our history they cannot be ignored Anti-Semitism is, and always will be, a threat to broader human values to which we all must aspire And when we allow anti-Semitism to take root, then our souls are destroyed, and it will spread And that‟s why, tonight, for the first time ever, congregations around the world are celebrating a Solidarity Shabbat It‟s a chance for leaders to publicly stand against antiSemitism and bigotry in all of its forms And I‟m proud to be a part of this movement, and I‟m proud that six ambassadors from Europe are joining us today And their presence here - our presence together is a reminder that we are not doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past Our traditions, our history, can help us chart a better course as long as we are mindful of that history and those traditions, and we are vigilant in speaking out and standing up against what is wrong It‟s not always easy, I think, to speak out against what is wrong, even for good people So I want to close with the story of one more of the many rabbis who came to Selma 50 years ago A few days after David Teitelbaum arrived to join the protests, he and a colleague were thrown in jail And they spent a Friday night in custody, singing Adon Olam to the tune of “We Shall Overcome.” And that in and of itself is a profound statement of faith and hope But what‟s wonderful is, is that out of respect many of their fellow protestors began wearing what they called “freedom caps” yarmulkes as they marched And the day after they were released from prison, Rabbi Teitelbaum watched Dr King lead a prayer meeting before crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge And Dr King said, “We are like the children of Israel, marching from slavery to freedom.” That‟s what happens when we‟re true to our values It‟s not just good for us, but it brings the community together Tikkun Olam it brings the community together and it helps repair the world It bridges differences that once looked unbridgeable It creates a future for our children that once seemed unattainable This congregation Jewish American life is a testimony to the capacity to make our values live But it requires courage It requires strength It requires that we speak the truth not just when it‟s easy, but when it‟s hard So may we always remember that our shared heritage makes us stronger, that our roots are intertwined May we always choose faith over nihilism, and courage over despair, and hope over cynicism and fear As we walk our own leg of a timeless, sacred march, may we always stand together, here at home and around the world Thank you God bless you God bless the United States of America Barack Obama APPENDIX Civil Society Forum Address, delivered 10 April 2015, Panama Thank you, President Varela Thank you very much, Panama, for hosting this Summit of the Americas And I thank everybody who‟s traveled here from across the region for the courageous work that you to defend freedom and human rights, and to promote equality and opportunity and justice across our hemisphere and around the world I am proud to be with you at this first-ever official gathering of civil society leaders at the Summit of the Americas And I‟m pleased to have Cuba represented with us at this summit for the very first time We‟re here for a very simple reason We believe that strong, successful countries require strong and vibrant civil societies We know that throughout our history, human progress has been propelled not just by famous leaders, not just by states, but by ordinary men and women who believe that change is possible; by citizens who are willing to stand up against incredible odds and great danger not only to protect their own rights, but to extend rights to others I had a chance to reflect on this last month when I was in the small town of Selma, Alabama Some of you may have heard of it It‟s a place where, 50 years ago, AfricanAmericans marched in peaceful, nonviolent protest not to ask for special treatment but to be treated equally, in accordance with the founding documents of our Declaration of Independence, our Bill of Rights They were part of a Civil Rights Movement that had endured violence and repression for decades, and would endure it again that day, as many of the marchers were beaten But they kept marching And despite the beatings of that day, they came back, and more returned And the conscience of a nation was stirred Their efforts bent, in the words of Dr Martin Luther King, the arc of the moral universe towards justice And it was their vision for a more fair and just and inclusive and generous society that ultimately triumphed And the only reason I stand here today as the President of the United States is because those ordinary people maids, and janitors, and schoolteachers were willing to endure hardship on my behalf And that's why I believe so strongly in the work that you It's the dreamers no matter how humble or poor or seemingly powerless that are able to change the course of human events We saw it in South Africa, where citizens stood up to the scourge of apartheid We saw it in Europe, where Poles marched in Solidarity to help bring down the Iron Curtain In Argentina, where mothers of the disappeared spoke out against the Dirty War It‟s the story of my country, where citizens worked to abolish slavery, and establish women‟s rights and workers‟ rights, and rights for gays and lesbians It‟s not to say that my country is perfect we are not And that‟s the point We always have to have citizens who are willing to question and push our government, and identify injustice We have to wrestle with our own challenges from issues of race to policing to inequality But what makes me most proud about the extraordinary example of the United States is not that we‟re perfect, but that we struggle with it, and we have this open space in which society can continually try to make us a more perfect union We‟ve stood up, at great cost, for freedom and human dignity, not just in our own country, but elsewhere I‟m proud of that And we embrace our ability to become better through our democracy And that requires more than just the work of government It demands the hard and frustrating, sometimes, but absolutely vital work of ordinary citizens coming together to make common cause So civil society is the conscience of our countries It‟s the catalyst of change It‟s why strong nations don‟t fear active citizens Strong nations embrace and support and empower active citizens And by the way, it‟s not as if active citizens are always right -they‟re not Sometimes people start yelling at me or arguing at me, and I think, you don‟t know what you‟re talking about But sometimes they And the question is not whether they‟re always right; the question is, you have a society in which that conversation, that debate can be tested and ideas are tested in the marketplace And because of the efforts of civil society, now, by and large, there‟s a consensus in the Americas on democracy and human rights, and social development and social inclusiveness I recognize there‟s strong differences about the role of civil society, but I believe we can all benefit from open and tolerant and inclusive dialogue And we should reject violence or intimidation that‟s aimed at silencing people‟s voices The freedom to be heard is a principle that the Americas at large is committed to And that doesn‟t mean, as I said, that we‟re going to agree on every issue But we should address those issue candidly and honestly and civilly, and welcome the voices of all of our people into the debates that shape the future of the hemisphere Just to take one example: As the United States begins a new chapter in our relationship with Cuba, we hope it will create an environment that improves the lives of the Cuban people -– not because it‟s imposed by us, the United States, but through the talent and ingenuity and aspirations, and the conversation among Cubans from all walks of life so they can decide what the best course is for their prosperity As we move toward the process of normalization, we‟ll have our differences, government to government, with Cuba on many issues just as we differ at times with other nations within the Americas; just as we differ with our closest allies There‟s nothing wrong with that But I‟m here to say that when we speak out, we‟re going to so because the United States of America does believe, and will always stand for, a certain set of universal values And when we partner with civil society, it‟s because we believe our relationship should be with governments and with the peoples that they represent It‟s also because we believe that your work is more important than ever Here in the Americas, inequality still locks too many people out of our economies Discrimination still locks too many out of our societies Around the world, there are still too many places where laws are passed to stifle civil society, where governments cut off funding for groups that they don‟t agree with Where entrepreneurs are crushed under corruption Where activists and journalists are locked up on trumped-up charges because they dare to be critical of their governments Where the way you look, or how you pray, or who you love can get you imprisoned or killed And whether it‟s crackdowns on free expression in Russia or China, or restrictions on freedom of association and assembly in Egypt, or prison camps run by the North Korean regime human rights and fundamental freedoms are still at risk around the world And when that happens, we believe we have a moral obligation to speak out We also know that our support for civil society is not just about what we‟re against, but also what we‟re for Because we‟ve noticed that governments that are more responsive and effective are typically governments where the people are free to assemble, and speak their minds, and petition their leaders, and hold us accountable We know that our economies attract more trade and investment when citizens are free to start a new business without paying a bribe We know that our societies are more likely to succeed when all our people regardless of color, or class, or creed, or sexual orientation, or gender are free to live and pray and love as they choose That‟s what we believe And, increasingly, civil society is a source of ideas about everything from promoting transparency and free expression, to reversing inequality and rescuing our environment And that‟s why, as part of our Stand with Civil Society Initiative, we‟ve joined with people around the world to push back on those who deny your right to be heard I‟ve made it a mission of our government not only to protect civil society groups, but to partner with you and empower you with the knowledge and the technology and the resources to put your ideas into action And the U.S supports the efforts to establish a permanent, meaningful role for civil societies in future Summits of the Americas So let me just say, when the United States sees space closing for civil society, we will work to open it When efforts are made to wall you off from the world, we‟ll try to connect you with each other When you are silenced, we‟ll try to speak out alongside you And when you‟re suppressed, we want to help strengthen you As you work for change, the United States will stand up alongside you every step of the way We are respectful of the difference among our countries The days in which our agenda in this hemisphere so often presumed that the United States could meddle with impunity, those days are past But what it does mean but we have to be very clear that when we speak out on behalf of somebody who‟s been imprisoned for no other reason than because they spoke truth to power, when we are helping an organization that is trying to empower a minority group inside a country to get more access to resources, we‟re not doing that because it serves our own interests; we‟re doing it because we think it‟s the right thing to And that‟s important And I hope that all the other countries at the Summit of the Americas will join us in seeing that it‟s important Because sometimes, as difficult as it is, it‟s important for us to be able to speak honestly and candidly on behalf of people who are vulnerable and people who are powerless, people who are voiceless I know, because there was a time in our own country where there were groups that were voiceless and powerless And because of world opinion, that helped to change those circumstance We have a debt to pay, because the voices of ordinary people have made us better That‟s a debt that I want to make sure we repay in this hemisphere and around the world Thank you very much, everybody God bless you ... the analysis of local meanings 20 CHAPTER A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON NON- CANONICAL CONSTRUCTIONS IN SPEECHES DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA IN DIFFERENT SOCIAL AFFAIRS 3.1 A critical discourse. .. indicators: Canonical and noncanonical construction Because of its scope of study, the thesis will have a look at syntactical devices as information status indicators: Canonical & Non- canonical constructions. .. later analysis of the US President Obama? ??s speeches Chapter III: A critical discourse analysis on non- canonical constructions in speeches delivered by President Obama in different social affairs