A critical discourse analysis of finest hour speech of sir winston churchil

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG MAI A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF “FINEST HOUR” SPEECH BY SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL (Phân tích diễn ngơn phê phán phát biểu “Finest hour” Sir Winston Churchill) M.A THESIS PROGRAMME I Field : English Linguistics Code : 8220201.01 Hanoi - 2019 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG MAI A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF “FINEST HOUR” SPEECH BY SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL (Phân tích diễn ngơn phê phán phát biểu “Finest hour” Sir Winston Churchill) M.A THESIS PROGRAMME I ` Field : English Linguistics Code : 8220201.01 Supervisor : Prof.Dr Nguyễn Hòa Hanoi - 2019 DECLARATION I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone’s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices I declare that this is a true copy of my dissertations, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Post Graduate Studies office and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution Hanoi, 2019 Nguyễn Thị Phương Mai i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My achievement in completing this thesis would not have been possible without the people who were involved in this study To the following people who donated their time and energy to this study, I am grateful and thankful: First, I would like to offer my greatest appreciation to my supervisor, Professor Nguyễn Hòa His expertise and knowledge have guided me during the study He offered me his support which has been especially helpful to my academic work I also would like to thank my classmates for their advice and assistance in keeping my progress on schedule My great thankfulness is also given to the teachers of Post Graduate Faculty Studies for their ideas to my paper and many thanks to my family and all my friends who have encouraged and helped me during the time of analyzing data, information for the study ii ABSTRACT Politicians and orators employ words as weapons in order to exert ideological control and make an audience believe something in an ostensive way In this regard, this study attempted to discover the connection between language, power embraced th in “Finest hour” speech by Sir Winston Churchill on June 18 , 1940, a crucial period for the outcome of the Second World War Based on a brief overview of critical discourse analysis provided by Norman Fairclough, the study followed a framework with three stages: Description, Interpretation, and Explanation It focused on the analysis of language features, the relationship between situational and intertextual context, and the discourse process and social process The results obtained support the idea that Churchill's skillful use of language is closely connected with his overall political goals of instilling courage, inspiring confidence and spark the national pride in his fellow countrymen in such difficult times for Britain as those of war against powerful Nazi Germany, and the fascism in general Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, political discourse, speech, ideology, language iii ABBREVIATIONS CDA: MR: Critical Discourse Analysis Member’s Resources iv TABLE OF CONTENT Declaration Error! Bookmark not defined Acknowledgments ii Abstract iii Abbreviations iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale .1 1.2 Scope of the study .2 1.3 Aims of the study 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Research methodology 1.5.1 Analytical framework 1.5.2 Data collection and analysis .3 1.6 Structure of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW & THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 Discourse analysis 2.2 Critical discourse analysis 2.3 The virtue and limitations of CDA .7 2.4 Some main concepts of CDA 2.4.1 Ideology 2.4.2 Power 10 2.4.3 Language and ideology .11 2.5 Main approaches to CDA 12 2.5.1 Wodak’s discourse-historical Approach 12 2.5.2 Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive Approach .13 2.5.3 Norman Fairclough’s dialectical - relational approach .14 v 2.6 Review of previous studies .16 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY .19 3.1 Data 19 3.2 Context of the speech 20 3.3 Analytical framework .21 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .26 4.1 Description 26 4.1.1 Vocabulary 26 4.1.2 Grammar 32 4.1.3 Connective values .38 4.1.4 Large-scale structure (macro-structure) 41 4.2 Interpretation 47 4.2.1 Situational context 47 4.2.2 Intertextual context and presupposition 49 4.2.3 Speech acts 51 4.3 Explanation .52 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 55 5.1 Recap 55 5.2 Conclusion 57 5.3 Limitations of the study 58 5.4 Suggestions for further study 58 REFERENCES 59 APPENDIX……………………………………………………………………………………i vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the rationale of the study, research objectives, research questions, research scope, research significance and research methodology which includes the analytical framework and the data collected 1.1 Rationale Since the prehistoric era of human beings, the need for communication early arose and the system of communication before anything else is language There are numerous theories about the origin of language: the divine source, the natural sound source, the social interaction source, the physical adaption source, the tool-making source, the genetic source Yet, the primary purpose of language still the same: communication As human beings continuously evolve, they utilize language in an intentional and more sophisticated way Language not only simply holds its initial function communication but also is meant to represent ideologies and practice power As Fairclough (2001) stated, "exercise of power is increasingly achieved through ideology, particularly through the working of language" Concerning this issue, critical discourse analysis has emerged as a major multidisciplinary approach to "show how discourse is shaped by relations of power and ideologies, and the constructive effects discourse has upon social identities, social relations and the system of knowledge and belief" (Fairclough, 1992b) Since CDA's important interest is "the way social and political domination are produced in text and talk", numerous speeches or rhetorical talks of professional politicians have been analyzed CDA is asserted to be an effective tool to discover the power and ideology hidden in political discourse Winston Churchill is one of the most influential Prime Ministers in Britain's history Besides the skillful military tactics and effective leadership which led Britain to the victory in the Second World War, Churchill is also well-known for his professional language competence He was the only prime minister awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values" Every speech he made is a masterpiece in rhetoric "Finest hour" is a speech delivered by Churchill on June 18, 1940, during one of the lowest and most uncertain moments of the Second World War The speech was made, first to the Parliament and then over the radio to the nation, become one of the most celebrated one of the war and his career Due to the huge linguistic, social and historical impact it brings forth, many writings discussing this speech However, as far as I am concerned, there has not any scientific writing concerning investigating the speech from CDA perspective, which urges the author to conduct this researched entitled: A critical discourse analysis of “Finest hour” speech by Sir Winston Churchill 1.2 Scope of the study The analysis of the "Finest hour" speech of Winston Churchill is restricted to the transcript of the speech and the social context when the speech was presented Thus, paralinguistics (intonation, speed, loudness, etc) and extra linguistics (facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, etc), despite their significant roles in delivering the speaker's message, are not taken into consideration Moreover, within the scope of an MA thesis, not all of the linguistic features are investigated In other words, only salient aspects of the speech are examined Finally, the thesis will be conducted for the academic purpose only and has no relation to any party’s support The researcher's political view is also ignored in this study 1.3 Objectives of the study By analyzing Churchill’s speech in the light of CDA, the study aims to discover the ideological traits in Churchill’s speech from linguistics features, uncover the way he encouraged people and persuaded them to believe in his ideas and solutions, how his language in the speech impacted listeners in the United Kingdom, which led to stronger British’ resolve and willingness to fight To reach these aims above, two research questions are answered: - What are Churchill's ideologies constructed in the speech? - How are they manifested linguistically? 108 Therefore, it seems to me that as far as sea-borne invasion on a great scale is 109 concerned, we are far more capable of meeting it today than we were at many 110 periods in the last war and during the early months of this war, before our other 111 troops were trained, and while the B.E.F had proceeded abroad Now, the Navy 112 have never pretended to be able to prevent raids by bodies of 5,000 or 10,000 men 113 flung suddenly across and thrown ashore at several points on the coast some dark night or foggy morning The efficacy of sea power, especially under modern 114 conditions, depends upon the invading force being of large size; It has to be of large 115 iv size, in view of our military strength, to be of any use If it is of large size, then the 116 Navy have something they can find and meet and, as it were, bite on Now, we must 117 118 remember that even five divisions, however lightly equipped, would require 200 to 119 250 ships, and with modern air reconnaissance and photography it would not be easy to collect such an armada, marshal it, and conduct it across the sea without any 120 121 powerful naval forces to escort it; and there would be very great possibilities, to put it mildly, that this armada would be intercepted long before it reached the coast, and 122 all the men drowned in the sea or, at the worst blown to pieces with their equipment 123 while they were trying to land We also have a great system of minefields, recently 124 strongly reinforced, through which we alone know the channels If the enemy tries 125 126 to sweep passages through these minefields, it will be the task of the Navy to 127 destroy the mine-sweepers and any other forces employed to protect them There 128 should be no difficulty in this, owing to our great superiority at sea 129 Those are the regular, well-tested, well-proved arguments on which we have relied during many years in peace and war But the question is whether there are any new 130 methods by which those solid assurances can be circumvented Odd as it may seem, 131 132 some attention has been given to this by the Admiralty, whose prime duty and responsibility is to destroy any large sea-borne expedition before it reaches, or at the 133 134 moment when it reaches, these shores It would not be a good thing for me to go 135 not into details of this It might suggest ideas to other people which they have thought of, and they would not be likely to give us any of their ideas in exchange 136 137 All I will say is that untiring vigilance and mind-searching must be devoted to the subject, because the enemy is crafty and cunning and full of novel treacheries and 138 stratagems The House may be assured that the utmost ingenuity is being displayed 139 140 and imagination is being evoked from large numbers of competent officers, well141 trained in tactics and thoroughly up to date, to measure and counterwork novel 142 possibilities Untiring vigilance and untiring searching of the mind is being, and must be, devoted to the subject, because, remember, the enemy is crafty and there is 143 144 no dirty trick he will not v Some people will ask why, then, was it that the British Navy was not able to prevent 145 the movement of a large army from Germany into Norway across the Skagerrak? 146 147 But the conditions in the Channel and in the North Sea are in no way like those 148 which prevail in the Skagerrak In the Skagerrak, because of the distance, we could give no air support to our surface ships, and consequently, lying as we did close to 149 150 the enemy’s main air power, we were compelled to use only our submarines We 151 could not enforce the decisive blockade or interruption which is possible from surface vessels Our submarines took a heavy toll but could not, by themselves, 152 153 prevent the invasion of Norway In the Channel and in the North Sea, on the other hand, our superior naval surface forces, aided by our submarines, will operate with 154 155 close and effective air assistance 156 This brings me, naturally, to the great question of invasion from the air, and of the impending struggle between the British and German Air Forces It seems quite clear 157 that no invasion on a scale beyond the capacity of our land forces to crush speedily 158 is likely to take place from the air until our Air Force has been definitely 159 160 overpowered In the meantime, there may be raids by parachute troops and attempted descents of airborne soldiers We should be able to give those gentry a 161 warm reception both in the air and on the ground, if they reach it in any condition to 162 continue the dispute But the great question is: Can we break Hitler’s air weapon? 163 164 least Now, of course, it is a very great pity that we have not got an Air Force at 165 equal to that of the most powerful enemy within striking distance of these shores 166 But we have a very powerful Air Force which has proved itself far superior in 167 quality, both in men and in many types of machine, to what we have met so far in the numerous and fierce air battles which have been fought with the Germans In 168 France, where we were at a considerable disadvantage and lost many machines on 169 the ground when they were standing round the aerodromes, we were accustomed to 170 inflict in the air losses of as much as two and two-and-a-half to one In the fighting 171 over Dunkirk, which was a sort of no-man’s-land, we undoubtedly beat the German 172 Air Force, and gained the mastery of the local air, inflicting here a loss of three or 173 174 four to one day after day Anyone who looks at the photographs which were vi 175 published a week or so ago of the re-embarkation, showing the masses of troops 176 assembled on the beach and forming an ideal target for hours at a time, must realize that this re-embarkation would not have been possible unless the enemy had 177 178 resigned all hope of recovering air superiority at that time and at that place 179 In the defence of this Island the advantages to the defenders will be much greater 180 than they were in the fighting around Dunkirk We hope to improve on the rate of 181 three or four to one which was realized at Dunkirk; and in addition all our injured 182 machines and their crews which get down safely-and, surprisingly, a very great 183 many injured machines and men get down safely in modern air fighting- all of 184 these will fall, in an attack upon these Islands, on friendly soil and live to fight 185 another day; whereas all the injured enemy machines and their complements will be 186 total losses as far as the war is concerned 187 During the great battle in France, we gave very powerful and continuous aid to the French Army, both by fighters and bombers; but in spite of every kind of pressure 188 we never would allow the entire metropolitan fighter strength of the Air Force to be 189 consumed This decision was painful, but it was also right, because the fortunes of 190 191 the battle in France could not have been decisively affected even if we had thrown in our entire fighter force That battle was lost by the unfortunate strategical 192 193 opening, by the extraordinary and unforseen power of the armored columns, and by 194 Force the great preponderance of the German Army in numbers Our fighter Air might easily have been exhausted as a mere accident in that great struggle, and then 195 we should have found ourselves at the present time in a very serious plight But as it 196 197 is, I am happy to inform the House that our fighter strength is stronger at the present 198 time relatively to the Germans, who have suffered terrible losses, than it has ever been; and consequently we believe ourselves possessed of the capacity to continue 199 the war in the air under better conditions than we have ever experienced before I 200 201 look forward confidently to the exploits of our fighter pilots-these splendid men, 202 this brilliant youth-who will have the glory of saving their native land, their island 203 home, and all they love, from the most deadly of all attacks vii There remains, of course, the danger of bombing attacks, which will certainly be 204 205 made very soon upon us by the bomber forces of the enemy It is true that the 206 German bomber force is superior in numbers to ours; but we have a very large bomber force also, which we shall use to strike at military targets in Germany 207 without intermission I not at all underrate the severity of the ordeal which lies 208 before us; but I believe our countrymen will show themselves capable of standing 209 up to it, like the brave men of Barcelona, and will be able to stand up to it, and carry 210 211 on in spite of it, at least as well as any other people in the world Much will depend 212 upon this; every man and every woman will have the chance to show the finest 213 qualities of their race, and render the highest service to their cause For all of us, at this time, whatever our sphere, our station, our occupation or our duties, it will be a 214 215 help to remember the famous lines: He nothing common did or mean, Upon that 216 memorable scene 217 I have thought it right upon this occasion to give the House and the country some 218 indication of the solid, practical grounds upon which we base our inflexible resolve 219 to continue the war There are a good many people who say, “Never mind Win or lose, sink or swim, better die than submit to tyranny-and such a tyranny.” And I 220 not dissociate myself from them But I can assure them that our professional 221 advisers of the three Services unitedly advise that we should carry on the war, and 222 that there are good and reasonable hopes of final victory We have fully informed 223 and consulted all the self-governing Dominions, these great communities far 224 beyond the oceans who have been built up on our laws and on our civilization, and 225 226 who are absolutely free to choose their course, but are absolutely devoted to the 227 ancient Motherland, and who feel themselves inspired by the same emotions which lead me to stake our all upon duty and honour We have fully consulted them, and I 228 229 have received from their Prime Ministers, Mr Mackenzie King of Canada, Mr 230 Menzies of Australia, Mr Fraser of New Zealand, and General Smuts of South Africa-that wonderful man, with his immense profound mind, and his eye watching 231 from a distance the whole panorama of European affairs-I have received from all 232 233 these eminent men, who all have Governments behind them elected on wide viii franchises, who are all there because they represent the will of their people, 234 messages couched in the most moving terms in which they endorse our decision to 235 236 fight on, and declare themselves ready to share our fortunes and to persevere to the 237 end That is what we are going to 238 We may now ask ourselves: In what way has our position worsened since the beginning of the war? It has worsened by the fact that the Germans have conquered a 239 large part of the coast line of Western Europe, and many small countries have been 240 overrun by them This aggravates the possibilities of air attack and adds to our naval 241 preoccupations It in no way diminishes, but on the contrary definitely increases, the 242 243 power of our long-distance blockade Similarly, the entrance of Italy into the war increases the power of our long-distance blockade We have stopped the worst leak 244 by that We not know whether military resistance will come to an end in France or 245 not, but should it so, then of course the Germans will be able to concentrate their 246 247 forces, both military and industrial, upon us But for the reasons I have given to the 248 House these will not be found so easy to apply If invasion has become more 249 imminent, as no doubt it has, we, being relieved from the task of maintaining a large 250 army in France, have far larger and more efficient forces to meet it 251 If Hitler can bring under his despotic control the industries of the countries he 252 has conquered, this will add greatly to his already vast armament output On the 253 of other hand, this will not happen immediately, and we are now assured 254 immense, continuous and increasing support in supplies and munitions of all 255 kinds from the United States; and especially of aeroplanes and pilots from the 256 Dominions and across the oceans coming from regions which are beyond the 257 reach of enemy bombers 258 I not see how any of these factors can operate to our detriment on balance before 259 the winter comes; and the winter will impose a strain upon the Nazi regime, with 260 almost all Europe writhing and starving under its cruel heel, which, for all their ruthlessness, will run them very hard We must not forget that from the moment 261 when we declared war on the 3rd September it was always possible for Germany to 262 ix turn all her Air Force upon this country, together with any other devices of invasion 263 she might conceive, and that France could have done little or nothing to prevent her 264 doing so We have, therefore, lived under this danger, in principle and in a slightly 265 modified form, during all these months In the meanwhile, however, we have 266 267 enormously improved our methods of defence, and we have learned what we had no right to assume at the beginning, namely, that the individual aircraft and the individual 268 269 British pilot have a sure and definite superiority Therefore, in casting up this dread 270 balance sheet and contemplating our dangers with a disillusioned eye, I see great reason for intense vigilance and exertion, but none whatever for panic or despair 271 During the first four years of the last war the Allies experienced nothing but disaster 272 273 and disappointment That was our constant fear: one blow after another, terrible 274 losses, frightful dangers Everything miscarried And yet at the end of those four 275 years the morale of the Allies was higher than that of the Germans, who had moved from one aggressive triumph to another, and who stood everywhere triumphant 276 invaders of the lands into which they had broken During that war we repeatedly 277 278 asked ourselves the question: How are we going to win? and no one was able ever 279 to answer it with much precision, until at the end, quite suddenly, quite 280 unexpectedly, our terrible foe collapsed before us, and we were so glutted with 281 victory that in our folly we threw it away We not yet know what will happen in France or whether the French resistance 282 283 will be prolonged, both in France and in the French Empire overseas The French 284 Government will be throwing away great opportunities and casting adrift their future if they not continue the war in accordance with their Treaty obligations, 285 286 from which we have not felt able to release them The House will have read the 287 historic declaration in which, at the desire of many Frenchmen-and of our own hearts-we have proclaimed our willingness at the darkest hour in French history to 288 conclude a union of common citizenship in this struggle However matters may go 289 290 in France or with the French Government, or other French Governments, we in this Island and in the British Empire will never lose our sense of comradeship with the 291 x French people If we are now called upon to endure what they have been suffering, 292 we shall emulate their courage, and if final victory rewards our toils they shall share 293 294 the gains, aye, and freedom shall be restored to all We abate nothing of our just 295 demands; not one jot or tittle we recede Czechs, Poles, Norwegians, Dutch, 296 Belgians have joined their causes to our own All these shall be restored 297 What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian 298 299 civilization Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon 300 be turned on us Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the 301 war If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may 302 303 move forward into broad, sunlit uplands But if we fail, then the whole world, 304 including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will 305 sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science Let us therefore brace ourselves to our 306 duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last 307 308 for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour” xi ... CDA: the discourse- historical approach of Wodak and the social-cultural approach of Fairclough and the idiosyncratic approach of Van Dijk Applying discourse- historical approach, scholars have... EU-Candidate countries In terms of wartime speech, there are also a number of studies carried out approaching various aspects of a speech Presenting a framework for a metaphor-based critical analysis. ..VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG MAI A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF ? ?FINEST HOUR? ?? SPEECH BY SIR