A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON RISHI SUNAK INAUGURATION SPEECH 2022

Abstract

This research was a Critical Discourse Analysis of the inauguration speech delivered by Rishi Sunak on October 25, 2022, addressing the economic crisis in the United Kingdom. By applying Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework of Critical Discourse Analysis and supported by Michael Alexander Kirkwood Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar as the supporting theory, this research aimed to uncover the micro, meso, and macro levels as well as the sociocultural context embedded in the inauguration speech. This research employed a descriptive qualitative method to elaborate on the collected data and sources, followed by theoretical and interpretative evaluations based on the conclusions drawn from the previously analyzed materials. The analysis revealed several linguistic features, including 53 instances of transitivity processes, 64 occurrences of personal pronouns, and 17 uses of modality. These linguistic elements were found to represent certain ideological purposes embedded in the speech. The three stages of Critical Discourse Analysis demonstrated that Rishi Sunak’s speech functioned as a medium to achieve particular political goals, mainly to emphasize the strengthening of the people’s economy in order to avoid a deeper economic crisis. The findings also showed that the speech reflected the strategic use of language to convey political intentions explicitly, as seen in the discourse structure and lexical choices throughout the speech text.