VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ KHÁNH NINH A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF PRESIDENT BIDEN‘S 2021 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS. (Phân tích diễn ngôn phê phán Thông điệp Liên Bang năm 2021 của Tổng thống Mỹ Biden.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English linguistics Code: 8220201.01 Hanoi – 2024 i VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ KHÁNH NINH A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF PRESIDENT BIDEN’S 2021 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS. (Phân tích diễn ngôn phê phán Thông điệp Liên Bang năm 2021 của Tổng thống Mỹ Biden.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English linguistics Code: 8220201. Nguyễn Hòa Hanoi–2024 ii CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authority of the study entitled ―A critical discourse analysis of President Biden’s 2021 state of the union address” submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master in English language.
With the exception of explicitly referenced material, I have not utilized the work of others without proper acknowledgment within the thesis text. Hanoi, 2024 Vũ Khánh Ninh Approved by SUPERVISOR Prof. Nguyễn Hòa Date: ………… iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to give my warmest thanks to many people but the first person is my supervisor, Prof. He provided extensive support and served as a source of inspiration throughout my thesis journey.
His critical feedback, invaluable suggestions, and relevant references were instrumental in enabling me to successfully complete my study. I extend my heartfelt thanks to my lecturers, family, and friends for their unwavering emotional support throughout the completion of my graduation thesis. Hanoi, 2024 Vu Khanh Ninh iv Abbreviations CDA: Critical Discourse Analysis DA: Discourse Analysis DP: Democratic Party DRA: Dialectical-Relational Approach FDA: Foucauldian Discourse Analysis SOTU: State of the Union v Table of contents Abbreviations. v List of figures.
viii List of tables. ix CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION. Background of the study. Research objectives and questions.
Scope of the study. Significance of the study. Structure of the Thesis. 4 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW.
Critical discourse analysis. Origin and definitions. Focus areas in CDA research. Key theoretical approaches to CDA.
President Biden‘s State of the Union Address. 19 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY. Data and data collection. 21 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.
Summary of the main findings. Limitations and suggestions for further studies. 58 vii List of figures Figure 1: van Dijk‘s (2000) discursive strategy categories (taken from How, 2022). 15 List of tables Table 1: Speech outline.
24 Table 2: Most commonly occurring words. 31 Table 3: Common collocations. 34 Table 4: Frequencies of personal pronouns. 35 Table 5: Instances of past references.
40 viii ABSTRACT This research was conducted to elucidate the ideological messages communicated in President Biden‘s 2021 State of the Union address, analyze the methods of their communication, and explore their significance. Through an integration of Fairclough‘s Three-Dimensional framework and Van Dijk‘s Ideological Square Model into a general CDA framework, this research undertook a comprehensive critical discourse analysis. The findings showed that President Biden‘s expressed ideologies aligned with Democratic Party principles as he advocated for government intervention, supported gun reform legislation, emphasized the importance of addressing climate change, encouraged people to get vaccinated, supported renewable energy, endorsed healthcare affordability and accessibility, and supported universal human rights. He also strongly expressed the critical need for unity amid widespread division and uncertainty.
These ideologies were presented explicitly or through a variety of linguistic devices, such as repetition, metaphors, past references, and in-group, out-group categorization. President Biden‘s ideologies were not only reflective of his political affiliation, but addressed the challenges facing the United States at the time effectively. ix CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION This chapter establishes the context of the study which involves the power and influence of presidents and the role of CDA in critiquing their ideologies and power dynamics. The chapter also outlines the study‘s objectives and research questions, and describes the scope of the study.
Moreover, this chapter expresses the significance of the study and outlines the study‘s structure. Background of the study Presidents, as the leaders of nations, wield large amounts of power and influence. Their words and actions have the potential to shape public opinion, influence policy decisions, and impact the course of a nation. The presidency is not only a political position but is also a symbol of national unity and the hopes of the people.
In the American context, the president acts as Head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. With these roles come the responsibilities of implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and appointing the heads of federal agencies (The White House, n. Biden is the 46th president of the United States, and assumed office in January, 2021. As President Biden entered the presidency, he was faced with numerous challenges (Collinson, 2021).
One of these was the pandemic. While it had been a year since the pandemic started, this crisis still put tremendous strain on global health management. Trump‘s administration was criticized for failing to effectively contain the virus in America, which put enormous pressure on President Biden, as the new head of state, to rectify the failures of the previous administration and ensure that public health improves. Another challenge was America‘s economy.
Owing to various factors, including the pandemic, unemployment was a severe issue. President Biden was expected to implement policies that would reignite growth in the country and improve employment. Political conflict was another challenge for President Biden. Although President Biden officially won the election, President Trump argued the results and challenged the presidency.
Overall, President Biden faced various major challenges 1 which would ultimately define his legacy as a president. Like any other president, his ideologies, leadership style, and decision-making have been evaluated and critiqued. Particularly, understanding the ideologies of presidents is crucial for comprehending the motives behind their policy decisions and the ways in which they address the nation. Analyzing presidential discourse goes beyond merely examining their speeches.
It involves delving into the underlying power structures, ideologies, and social identities embedded within the language used by the president. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) provides a valuable framework for such investigations as it allows researchers to uncover power relations and identify dominant ideologies. By examining President Biden‘s 2021 SOTU Address with CDA, I can identify the ideologies that he exhibited in his speech. CDA can also enable me to discover how these ideologies are represented through various linguistic and discursive elements.
In addition, a CDA of President Biden‘s speech can reveal why certain ideologies are represented, which could lead to a better understanding of the context of his speech and the situation of American politics during the time of the speech‘s delivery. Research objectives and questions This study aims to employ Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a framework to analyze President Biden's 2021 State of the Union (SOTU) Address, with the main goal of understanding the ideologies embedded within his speech. By delving into linguistic elements, the study seeks to identify President Biden's core ideological views, discern the strategies he employs to convey these ideologies, and elucidate the reasons behind their representation in his discourse. Ultimately, this research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how ideologies are constructed and communicated through political discourse, particularly within the context of the presidency.
After conducting a thorough review of existing literature and considering the role of ideology in political discourse, I established three primary objectives. Objective 1: To identify President Biden's core ideologies as expressed in his speech, 2 providing insights into his political worldview, priorities, and values. To achieve this objective, I intend to identify the key ideological themes in President Biden‘s speech. Objective 2: To examine the strategies employed by President Biden in his speech, with a focus on how linguistic and discursive elements contribute to the expression of his ideologies.
To achieve this objective, I intend to apply Van Dijk‘s Ideological Square Model to discern discursive strategies used by President Biden. In addition, I intend to apply Fairclough‘s approach to describe and interpret the speech in terms of the textual features. Objective 3: To understand the reasons for the representation of certain ideologies in President Biden‘s speech. To achieve this objective, I will consider the socio-political context of the speech and interpret and explain the results to infer the reasons behind the representation of the ideologies communicated in President Biden‘s speech.
In accordance with the aims mentioned above, the following research questions were set: 1. What are President Biden‘s ideologies in his 2021 State of the Union address? 2. How are President Biden‘s ideologies linguistically represented? 3. Why are President Biden‘s ideologies represented the way they were in the speech? 1.
Scope of the study The scope of this study is specifically delimited to the critical discourse analysis of President Biden‘s 2021 State of the Union address, delivered on April 28, 2021, at the U. By focusing exclusively on this one event, the study aims to provide an in- depth examination of President Biden‘s discourse on that occasion. This targeted scope enables the research to delve into the language used within the context of a specific moment in the president‘s term. This speech is critical since it is only delivered once per 3 year and is intended to provide the audience with an overview of the nation‘s current condition.
Moreover, it is usually delivered to the general public, which means that it serves as a crucial platform for the president to address a wide audience, shaping public perceptions and influencing collective understanding of the nation‘s course. In terms of the analysis, the study focused on President Biden‘s ideologies and the ways in which these ideologies were communicated, specifically through word frequencies, collocations, in-group, out-group categorization, repetition, past references, and metaphors. Significance of the study This study holds importance in revealing aspects of President Biden‘s leadership, contributing to an understanding of his presidency. By delving into Biden‘s ideologies and the ways in which these ideologies are communicated through discourse, the research will uncover his fundamental beliefs and policy perspectives, and the strategies used to convey them.
This study‘s findings can inform understanding of presidential communication and contribute to academic and policy discussions surrounding ideology in politics. Structure of the Thesis Chapter I: Introduction – This initial chapter sets the stage for the investigation by exploring the significant influence wielded by presidents and the utility of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) in evaluating their ideological and power structures. It further delineates the aims, research queries, and the extent of the inquiry. Additionally, it highlights the importance and organizational framework of the study.
Chapter II: Literature review – In this section, an in-depth examination of discourse analysis and critical discourse analysis is undertaken, drawing upon existing scholarly work. It discusses the origins and fundamental definitions of CDA, probes into its primary areas of inquiry, and assesses prominent theoretical frameworks associated with CDA. Chapter III: Methodology – Here, the approach to research is explained, detailing the selection of data, the procedures for data gathering, and the strategies employed in 4 analyzing the data. Chapter IV: Results and discussion – This portion of the study reports on the findings from the critical discourse analysis, offering a comprehensive portrayal of the discourse under review.
It further delves into the interpretation and elucidation of these outcomes. Chapter V: Conclusion – The concluding chapter encapsulates the primary discoveries of the research, acknowledges any limitations encountered, and proposes directions for future investigations. CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter explores the concepts of discourse analysis and critical discourse analysis based on the works of previous researchers. On the topic of CDA, the chapter describes the origins and definitions, delves into the focus areas in CDA research, and reviews key theoretical approaches to CDA.