Discourse Analysis on Benigno Aquino III and Rodrigo Duterte's State of the Nation Address

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

State of the Nation Address (SONA) is one of the political discourses that can predict the personality of local politicians and a relevant factor to study when investigating public image. In the country, some studies delve with analyzing speeches of the president and underpinning their ideologies; however, there is a dearth of literature comparing speeches of a politician. This study is an attempt to investigate how the personality of President Rodrigo Duterte and his predecessor Benigno AquinoJr. is revealed through their SONA.

METHODS

A qualitative design was utilized in this study. Combining Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) method and Aristotelian rhetoric, the researcher selected one particular speech of the two presidents that best represents their speeches and analyzed its language forms. Moreover, Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics served as the basis in identifying the functions of language and ideologies it reveals.

RESULTS

The examination of the ideational function of the two speeches revealed that both presidents are man of action as they use more of material processes to suggest that they are carrying out their platforms to achieve developments in the government. Moreover, the analysis of interpersonal function indicates that the use of modal verbs and personal pronoun are good choice in establishing the character portrayal of the politicians. It further reveals that Duterte is a narcissist and populist leader by his choice of I-talk while his predecessor is more of a collectivist as demonstrated by the dominant choice of pronoun we. In terms of rhetoric, both resembles structure of persuasive speech that uses the three types of appeal, the ethos, pathos, and logos, to build a desirable personality that would eventually satisfy the addressee. However, the address of Duterte gave emphasis on ethos and pathos while Aquino focused on pathos and logos.

DISCUSSIONS

The study provides insights on both teacher and students in discovering the discursive patterns and ideological aspects of the political speeches. Thus, it can help them in analyzing speeches objectively. It can also raise an awareness to practitioner on the importance of critical discourse analysis in language teaching in spoken and written discourses. It can also broaden their knowledge in delivering instruction using authentic material such as political speeches.