A Critical Discourse Analysis of The Use of Modal Verbs in Former Prime Minister Speech During Covid-19

Abstract

This article is an effort at looking at critical discourse analysis strategies and modality use in a speech text by Tan Sri Dato’ Muhyiddin Yassin, the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia. This research hopes to explain how discourse is part of a social process, and to show that the social process can be explained with a systematic and critical discourse analysis approach. A nation leader’s speech can be meaningful and highlight his actions to the public. In the Malaysian context, a leader’s speech transcript is usually used as a main reference to better understand how the discourse is used by leaders to influence or deliver their ideologies to the people. This research will study the use of modality to identify or highlight the speaker’s intentions that is contained within the discourse. Modality helps in identifying discourse functions and illustrates how power is hidden within discourse. In this case, the critical discourse analysis theoretical framework is used to explore complex social issues in a leader’s discourse in order to examine power relationships and how it is applied within the economical, sociological and political context. The critical discourse analysis introduced by Norman Fairclough (1995) will be applied in this research. The analysis will follow the three dimensional framework which is the text, discourse practice, and sociocultural practice analyses. This research will use the Covid 19 Special Address by YAB Tan Sri Dato Muhyiddin Yassin, Prime Minister of Malaysia, as data in examining a nation leader’s discourse practices. Findings showed that the new government utilizes the power of language or discourse by using modality in delivering messages, fulfilling intentions, and gathering support to reinforce political power.