A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF DEIXIS IN POLITICAL SPEECHES Donald Trump UN General Assembly Speech: A Case Study

Abstract

Deictic expressions are important in language because they help speakers and listeners to realize the meaning of words and phrases in relation to the context in which they are used. By relying on shared contextual knowledge, deictic expressions allow for more efficient and effective communication. Deictic expressions are identified and analyzed according to Levinson’s (1983) and Crystal’s (2008). This study aims to explain the deixis utilized in Donald Trump's 2018 speech to the UN General Assembly which serves as the research's primary source of data. Accordingly, this study hypothesizes that Trump utilizes a variety of deictic expressions to maintain his communication, and that these expressions have a pragmatic effect on behalf of the listener. Based on data analysis, this research identifies (5) categories of deixis in Donald Trump's speech to the UN General Assembly: discourse deixis, social deixis, time/ temporal deixis, person deixis, and place, spatial deixis. There are 344 deictic expressions in this discourse. The deixis that Donald Trump uses most often, namely, personal deixis, has a frequency of 279 (81%). Overall, the deictic expressions used by Trump in his UN General Assembly Speech serve a number of purposes, including creating a sense of unity and shared responsibility, emphasizing American interests and values, drawing attention to key issues, and conveying a sense of urgency. By using these expressions effectively, Trump was able to appeal to his audience and make his message more memorable and impactful.