A critical discourse analysis of two speeches on women by hillary clinton in 1995 and 2013

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ********************* PHẠM THỊ TUẤN A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF TWO SPEECHES ON WOMEN BY HILLARY CLINTON IN 1995 AND 2013 Phân tích diễn ngơn phê phán hai phát biểu phụ nữ Hillary Clinton vào năm 1995 2013 M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 60220201 Hanoi, 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ********************* PHẠM THỊ TUẤN A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF TWO SPEECHES ON WOMEN BY HILLARY CLINTON IN 1995 AND 2013 Phân tích diễn ngơn phê phán hai phát biểu phụ nữ Hillary Clinton vào năm 1995 2013 M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 60220201 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Ngơ Hữu Hồng Hanoi, 2016 ` DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “A critical discourse analysis of two speeches on women by Hillary Clinton in 1995 and 2013” is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, and that this thesis has not been submitted for any other degrees Hanoi, 2016 Phạm Thị Tuấn i ` ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express the deepest appreciation to my supervisor, Associate Professor Dr Ngơ Hữu Hồng for helping me complete this study This paper would not have been accomplished without his expert, constant and valuable guidance and encouragement His patience and helpful criticism helped me confidently express my ideas into this paper I also wish to express my sincere thanks to all my lecturers at the Faculty of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies for their valuable lectures which have helped me a great deal in gaining a lot of theoretical background as well as practical knowledge My special thanks also go to my friends and colleagues for their enthusiastic help and support with my teaching schedule at school which gave me precious time to deal with my thesis Finally, I would also like to express my deep gratitude and love to my family who gave me time and encouragement to overcome all obstacles during the completion of this study ii ` ABSTRACT This study attempts to discover the relationship between power, ideology and discourse embraced in two speeches delivered by Hillary Clinton in 1995 and 2013, using the CDA framework suggested by Norman Fairclough (2001) The analysis is carried out in three separated phases namely Description, Interpretation, and Explanation Major aspects selected for analysis include vocabulary, grammar, and macro-structures Due to the limited time, the study focuses on analysis of lexical choice, voice, pronouns, and large-scale structures The findings show that ideology and power are expressed in a number of ways, and there is not much difference between two speeches The biggest difference lies on the situational context that exerts influences on exhibiting power and ideology While 1995 speech centers on depicting the reality of harsh treatment on women, 2013 speech offers a review of achievements and remains in fights for women advancement In general, both speeches serve as Clinton‘s calls for actions on women rights violations iii ` LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CDA:Critical Discourse Analysis S: Sentence M: Macro - statement iv ` LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Tables Page Table 1: Frequency of pronoun ―I‖ and ―We‖ in 1995 and 2013 Speech 21 Table 2: Frequency of active and passive voice in 1993 and 1995 Speech 24 Figures Figure 1: Interpretation (Fairclough, 2001: 119) 11 Figure 2: Explanation (Fairclough, 2001: 136) 12 v ` TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the study and Research Questions 2.1 Aims of the study 2.2 Research questions Scope of the study Design of the study Significance of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW An overview of CDA 1.1 The development of CDA 1.2 Definitions of CDA 1.3 Some main directions in CDA 1.3.1 Van Dijk‘s 1.3.2 Wodak‘s 1.3.3 Fairclough‘s 1.3.3.1 Description of the text 1.3.3.2 Interpretation of the text 10 1.3.3.3 Explanation of the text 11 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY 14 vi ` Research questions restated 14 Methods of the study 14 Data of the study 15 Analysis procedure of the study 16 CHAPTER 3: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF THE TWO SPEECHES ON WOMEN BY HILLARY CLINTON IN 1995 AND 2013 19 Description 19 1.1 Description of vocabulary use 19 1.2 Description of grammatical features 20 1.2.1 The use of ―I‖ and ―we‖ pronouns 20 1.2.2 The use of voice 23 1.3 Description of macro-structures 24 Interpretation 26 2.1 Interpretation of situational context 26 2.2 Interpretation of inter-textual context 28 2.3 Interpretation of language use 30 2.3.1 Interpretation of vocabulary use 30 2.3.2 Interpretation of grammatical features 32 2.3.2.1 The use of pronouns ―I‖ and ―we‖ .32 2.3.2.2 The use of voice 33 2.3.3 Interpretation of macro-structures 35 2.3.3.1 Macrostructures in 1995 speech 35 2.3.3.2 Macrostructures in 2013 speech 37 Explanation 38 3.1 Explanation of 1995 speech 38 3.2 Explanation of 2013 speech 40 PART C: CONCLUSION 42 Summary of findings 42 Limitations of the study and Recommendations for further study 44 vii ` REFERENCES 45 APPENDIX I viii ` (9) And that firm faith in the untapped potential of women at home and around the world has been at the heart of my work my entire life, from college and law school, from Arkansas to the White House to the Senate (10) And when I became Secretary of State, I was determined to weave this perspective even deeper into the fabric of American foreign policy (11) But I knew to that, I couldn‘t just preach to the usual choir (12) We had to reach out, not only to men, in solidarity and recruitment, but to religious communities, to every partner we could find (13) We had to make the case to the whole world that creating opportunities for women and girls advances security and prosperity for everyone (14) So we relied on the empirical research that shows that when women participate in the economy, everyone benefits (15) When women participate in peace-making and peace-keeping, we are all safer and more secure (16) And when women participate in politics of their nations they can make a difference (17) But as strong a case as we‘ve made, too many otherwise thoughtful people continue to see the fortunes of women and girls as somehow separate from society at large (18) They nod, they smile and then they relegate these issues once again to the sidelines.(19) I have seen it over and over again, I have been kidded about it, I have been ribbed, I have been challenged in boardrooms and official offices across the world (20) But fighting to give women and girls a fighting chance isn‘t a nice thing to-do (21) It isn‘t some luxury that we get to when we have time on our hands to spend (22) This is a core imperative for every human being in every society (23) If we not continue the campaign for women‘s rights and opportunities, the world we want to live, the country we all love and cherish, will not be what it should be (23) It is no coincidence that so many of the countries that threaten regional and global peace are the very places where women and girls are deprived of dignity and opportunity (24) Think of the young women from northern Mali to Afghanistan IX ` whose schools have been destroyed (25) Or of the girls across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia who have been condemned to child marriage (26) Or of the refugees of the conflicts from eastern Congo to Syria who endure rape and deprivation as a weapon of war (27) It is no coincidence that so many of the countries where the rule of law and democracy are struggling to take root are the same places where women and girls cannot participate as full and equal citizens (28) Like in Egypt, where women stood on the front lines of the revolution but are now being denied their seats at the table and face a rising tide of sexual violence (29) It is no coincidence that so many of the countries making the leap from poverty to prosperity are places now grappling with how to empower women (30) I think it is one of the unanswered questions of the rest of this century to whether countries, like China and India, can sustain their growth and emerge as true global economic powers Much of that depends on what happens to women and girls (31) None of these are coincidences Instead, they demonstrate—and your presence here confirms—that we are meeting at a remarkable moment of confluence (32) Because in countries and communities across the globe where for generations violence against women has gone unchecked, opportunity and dignity virtually unknown, there is a powerful new current of grassroots activism stirring, galvanized by events too outrageous to ignore and enabled by new technologies that give women and girls voices like never before (33) That‘s why we need to seize this moment (34) But we need to be thoughtful and smart and savvy about what this moment really offers to us (35) Now many of us have been working and advocating and fighting for women and girls for more decades than we care to remember (36) And I think we can be and should proud of all that we‘ve achieved (37) Conferences like this one have been part of that progress (38) But let‘s recognize much of our advocacy is still rooted in a 20th century, top-down frame (39) The world is changing beneath our X ` feet and it is past time to embrace a 21st century approach to advancing the rights and opportunities of women and girls at home and across the globe (40) Think about it You know, technology, from satellite television to cell phones from Twitter to Tumblr, is helping bring abuses out of the shadows and into the center of global consciousness (41) Think of that woman in a blue bra beaten in Tahrir Square, think about that 6-year old girl in Afghanistan about to be sold into marriage to settle a family debt (42) Just as importantly, technological changes are helping inspire, organize, and empower grassroots action (43) I have seen this and that is where progress is coming from and that‘s where our support is needed (44) We have a tremendous stake in the outcome of these metrics (45) Today, more than ever, we see clearly that the fate of women and girls around the world is tied up with the greatest security and economic challenges of our time (46) Consider Pakistan, a proud country with a rich history that recently marked a milestone in its democratic development when a civilian government completed its full term for the very first time (47) And it is no secret that Pakistan is plagued by many ills: violent extremism, sectarian conflict, poverty, energy shortages, corruption, weak democratic institutions It is a combustible mix (48) And more than 30,000 Pakistanis have been killed by terrorists in the last decade (49) The repression of women in Pakistan exacerbates all of these problems (50) More than million children not attend school—and two-thirds of them are girls The Taliban insurgency has made the situation even worse (51) As Malala has said and reminded us: ―(52) We live in the 21st century (53) How can we be deprived from education?‖(54) She went on to say, ―(55) I have the right to play (56) I have the right to sing (57) I have the right to talk (58) I have the right to go to market (59)I have the right to speak up.‖ XI ` (60) How many of us here today would have that kind of courage? (61) The Taliban recognized this young girl, 14-year at the time, as a serious threat (62)You know what? (63) They were right— she was a threat (64) Extremism thrives amid ignorance and anger, intimidation and cowardice (65) As Malala said, ―(66) If this new generation is not given pens, they will be given guns.‖ (67) But the Taliban miscalculated (68) They thought if they silenced Malala, and thank god they didn‘t, that not only she, but her cause would die (69)Instead, they inspired millions of Pakistanis to finally say, ―Enough is enough.‖ (70)You heard it directly from those two brave young Pakistani women yesterday (71) And they are not alone (72) People marched in the streets and signed petitions demanding that every Pakistani child—girls as well as boys—have the opportunity to attend school (73) And that in itself was a rebuke to the extremists and their ideology (74) I‘m well aware that improving life for Pakistan‘s women is not a panacea (75) But it‘s impossible to imagine making real progress on the country‘s other problems—especially violent extremism—without tapping the talents and addressing the needs of Pakistan‘s women, including reducing corruption, ending the culture of impunity, expanding access to education, to credit, to all the tools that give a woman or a man make the most of their life‘s dreams (76) None of this will be easy or quick (77) But the grassroots response to Malala‘s shooting gives us hope for the future (78) Again and again we have seen women drive peace and progress (79) In Northern Ireland, Catholic and Protestant women like Inez McCormick came together to demand an end to the Troubles and helped usher in the Good Friday Accords (80) In Liberia, women marched and protested until the country‘s warlords agreed to end their civil war, they prayed the devil back to hell, and they twice elected Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the first woman president in Africa (81) An organization called Sisters Against Violent Extremism now connects women in XII ` more than a dozen countries who have risked their lives to tell terrorists that they are not welcome in their communities (82) So the next time you hear someone say that the fate of women and girls is not a core national security issue, it‘s not one of those hard issues that really smart people deal with, remind them: The extremists understand the stakes of this struggle (83) (84) They know that when women are liberated, so are entire societies (85) We must understand this too (86)And not only understand it, but act on it (87) And the struggles not end (88) Struggles not end when countries attempt the transition to democracy (89) We‘ve seen that very clearly the last few years (90) Many millions including many of us were inspired and encouraged by the way women and men worked together during the revolutions in places like Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya (91) But we know that all over the world when the dust settles, too often women‘s gains are lot to better organized, more powerful forces of oppression (92) We see seeing women largely shut out of decision-making (93) We see women activists believe they are being targeted by organized campaigns of violence and intimidation (94) But still, many brave activists, women and men alike, continue to advocate for equality and dignity for all Egyptians, Tunisians, and Libyans (95) They know the only way to realize the promise of the Arab Spring is with and through the full participation of half the population (96) Now what is true in politics is also true economics (97) In the years ahead, a number of rapidly developing nations are poised to reshape the global economy, lift many millions out of poverty and into the middle class (98) This will be good for them and good for us—it will create vast new markets and trading partners XIII ` (99) But no country can achieve its full economic potential when women are left out or left behind… a fact underscored day after day and most recently to me a tragedy in India (100) Concerning the young 23-year-old woman, brutally beaten and raped on a Delhi bus last December she was from a poor farming family, but like so many women and men she wanted to climb that economic ladder (101) She had aspirations for her life (102) She studied all day to become a physical therapist, then went to work at call centers in the evening, she sleep two hours a night President Mukherjeeof described her as a ―symbol of all that New India strives to be.‖ (103) But if her life embodied the aspirations of a rising nation, her death and her murder, pointed to the many challenges still holding it back (104) The culture of rape is tied up with a broader set of problems: official corruption, illiteracy, inadequate education, laws and traditions, customs, culture, that prevent women from being seen as equal human beings (105) And in addition, in many places, India and China being the leaders, in skewed gender balance with many more men than women, which contributes to human trafficking, child marriage, and other abuses that dehumanize women and corrode society (106) So millions of Indians took to the streets in 2011, they protested corruption In 2012, came the Delhi gang rape, and the two causes merged (107) Demands for stronger measures against rape were joined by calls for better policing and more responsive governance, for an India that could protect all its citizens and deliver the opportunities they deserve (108) Some have called that the ―Indian Spring.‖ (109) Because, as the protesters understood, India will rise or fall with its women (110) Its had a tradition of strong women leaders, but those women leaders like women leaders around the world like those who become presidents or prime ministers or foreign ministers or heads of corporations cannot be seen as tokens that give everyone else in society the chance to say we‘ve taken care of our women XIV ` (111) So any country that wants to rise economically and improve productivity needs to open the doors (112) Latin America and the Caribbean have steadily increased women‘s participation in the labor market since the 1990s, they now account for more than half of all workers (113)The World Bank estimates that extreme poverty in the region has decreased by 30 percent as a result (114) Here in the United States, American women went from holding 37 percent of all jobs forty years ago to nearly 48 percent today (115) And the productivity gains attributable to this increase account for more than $3.5 trillion in GDP growth over those four decades (116) Similarly, fast-growing Asian economies could boost their per capita incomes by as much as 14 percent by 2020 if they brought more women into the workforce (117) Laws and traditions that hold back women, hold back entire societies, creating more opportunities for women and girls will grow economies and spread prosperity (118) When I first began talking about this using rape data from the World Bank and private sector analyses there were doubters who couldn‘t quite put the pieces together (119) But that debate is over (120) Opening the doors to one‘s economy for woman will make a difference (121) Now, I want to conclude where I began, with the unfinished business we face here at home (122) The challenges and opportunities I‘ve outlined today are not just for the people of the developing world (123) America must face this too if we want to continue leading the world (124) Traveling the globe these last four years reaffirmed and deepened my pride in our country and the ideals we represent (125) But it also challenged me to think about who we are and the values we are supposed to be living here at home in order to represent abroad (126) After all, our global leadership for peace and prosperity, for freedom and equality, is not a birthright It must be earned by every generation XV ` (127) And yes, we now have American women at high levels of business, academia, and government—you name it (128) But, as we‘ve seen in recent months, we‘re still asking age-old questions about how to make women‘s way in male-dominated fields, how to balance the demands of work and family (129) The Economist magazine recently published what it called a ―glass-ceiling index‖ ranking countries based on factors like opportunities for women in the workplace and equal pay (130) The United States was not even in the top 10 (131)Worse, recent studies have found that, on average, women live shorter lives in America than in any other major industrialized country (132) Think about it for a minute (133) We are the richest and most powerful country in the world (134) Yet many American women today are living shorter lives than their mothers, especially those with the least education (135) That is a historic reversal that rivals the decline in life expectancy for Russian men after the disintegration of the Soviet Union (136) Now there is no single explanation for why this is happening (137) Prescription drug overdoses have spiked: obesity, smoking, lack of health insurance, intractable poverty (138) But the fact is that for too many American women, opportunity and the dream of upward mobility—the American Dream— remains elusive (139) That‘s not the way it‘s supposed to be (140) I think of the extraordinary sacrifices my mother made to survive her own difficult childhood, to give me not only life, but opportunity along with love and inspiration (141) And I‘m very proud of my own daughter and I look at all these young women I‘m privileged to work with or know through Chelsea and it‘s hard to imagine turning the clock back on them (142) But in places throughout America large and small the clock is turning back XVI ` (143) So, we have work to (144) Renewing America‘s vitality at home and strengthening our leadership abroad will take the energy and talents of all our people, women and men (145) If America is going to lead, we need to learn from the women of the world who have blazed new paths and developed new solutions, on everything from economic development to education to environmental protection (146) If America is going to lead, we need to catch up with so much of the rest of the world and finally ratify the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Discrimination Against Women (147) If America is going to lead, we need to stand by the women of Afghanistan after our combat troops come home, we need to speak up for all the women working to realize the promise of the Arab Spring, and more to save the lives of the hundreds of thousands of mothers who die every year during childbirth from preventable causes and so much more (148) But that‘s not all (149) Because if America is going to lead we expect ourselves to lead, we need to empower women here at home to participate fully in our economy and our society, we need to make equal pay a reality, we need to extending family and medical leave benefits to more workers and make them paid, we need to encourage more women and girls to pursue careers in math and science (150) We need to invest in our people so they can live up to their own God-given potential (151) That‘s how America will lead in the world (152) So let‘s learn from the wisdom of every mother and father all over the world who teaches their daughters that there is no limit on how big she can dream and how much she can achieve XVII ` (153) This truly is the unfinished business of the 21st century (154) And It is the work we are all called to (155) I look forward to being your partner in all the days and years ahead (156) Lets keep fighting for opportunity and dignity, let‘s keep fighting for freedom and equality, let's keep fighting for full participation (157) And let's keep telling the world over and over again that yes, women‘s rights are human rights and human rights are women‘s rights once and for all (157 sentences, 331 clauses) XVIII ` APPENDIX LIST OF QUESTIONS AND SUB-QUESTIONS SUGGESTED BY NORMAN FAIRCLOUGH IN DOING CDA A Vocabulary What experiential values words have? What classification schemes are drawn upon? Are there words which are ideologically contested? Is there rewording or overwording? What ideologically significant meaning relations (synonymy, hyponymy, and antonymy) are there between words? What relational values words have? Are there euphemistic expressions? Are there markedly formal or informal words? What expressive values words have? What metaphors are used? B Grammar What experiential values grammatical features have? What types of process and participants predominate? Is agency unclear? Are processes what they seem? Are normalizations used? Are sentences active or passive? Are sentences positive or negative? What relational values grammatical features have? What modes (declarative, grammatical question, imperative) are used? Are there important features of relational modality? Are the pronouns we and you used and if so, how? What expressive values grammatical features have? Are there important features of expressive modality? How are (simple) sentences linked together? XIX ` What logical connectors are used? Are complex sentences characterized by coordination or/ subordination? What means are used for referring inside and outside the text? C Textual structures What interactional conventions are used? Are there ways in which one participant controls the turns of others? 10 What larger scale structures does the text have? XX ` APPENDIX VOCABULARY USE IN 1995 AND 2013 SPEECHES ON WOMEN BY HILLARY CLINTON Positive (Women rights) Negative (Women rights violations) Verbs Verbs Nouns/ Adjectives Nouns/ Adjectives Bring Dignity Matter The world‘s most pressing Access Respect Die problem Enjoy Strength Be denied Violence/domestic violence/ Improve Stability Force crisis of domestic violence Promote Education/ Educated Barr Challenges Respect Health care Threaten Struggle to end apartheid Protect Credit Violate Loans Strengthen Comfort Exclude Unnoticed Empower Literacy Drown Unheard Recognize Livelihood Suffocate Not valued Love Rights/ human rights Break Not taught to read and write The chance to go to Douse Diseases school, to see a doctor or Sell Slavery own property or have a Burn Prostitution say … Rape Minimal wage God-given potential Brutalize Silence/ silent Freedom Sterilize Rape Democracy Jail Abuse The right to vote/ Mistreat suffrage Refugees Take away Violation Strong and stable future Tactic or prize of war Death XXI ` The painful and degrading practice of genital mutilation Abortions Discrimination Equity Valued less, fed less, overworked, underpaid, not schooled Table 1: Vocabulary use in 1995 speech Positive (women rights) Negative (Women rights violations) Verbs Verbs Nouns/ Adjectives Nouns/ Adjectives Advance Equal rights Deprive Unfinished business Benefit Rights and opportunities Condemn Second-class citizens Empower Education Deny Subhuman species Bring out Literacy Leave Inspire Agents of change leave behind Rape Encourage Drivers of progress Beat Deprivation Improve Makers of peace Rape Weapon of war Advocate Untapped potential Dehumanize Violence/ Protect Security Stand by Prosperity Unchecked Speak up Safer and more secure Unknown Save Dignity Abuse Dream Full and equal citizens Family debt Pursue Peace Depression Progress Extremism/violent Achieve Prevent XXII out/ Child marriage generations violence ` Education extremism Credit Intimidation The most of life‘s dreams Poverty Hope Corruption Gains Equality Full participation Freedom Upward mobility Medical leave benefit Equal pay/ equally paid God-given potential Table 2: Vocabulary use in 2013 Speech XXIII ... types of the data, and the analysis procedure of the study Chapter 3: A critical discourse analysis of two speeches on women by Hillary Clinton in 1995 and 2013 The CDA procedure addressed by Fairclough... large-scale institutional societal level 18 of at the and ` CHAPTER 3: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF THE TWO SPEECHES ON WOMEN BY HILLARY CLINTON IN 1995 AND 2013 This chapter will deal with the analysis. .. a critical analysis of two speeches on women by Hillary Clinton in 1995 and 2013 based on Fairclough‘s framework to find out the way hidden power and ideologies are shown in two speeches - Find