Exploring Cohesiveness in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos’ 7th State of The Nation Address

Abstract

This study explored the semantic influence of the cohesive devices used in President Akufo-Addo’s 7th State of the Nation Address. The aim was to examine the communication implications of the cohesive devices in the text. The study adopted the content analytical method which involved qualitative method of data presentation and analysis. Applying concepts form Halliday & Hasan's (1976) Cohesive Theory, the study revealed that there was an apt use of cohesiveness in the discourse. It was equally discovered that the address featured both grammatical and lexical cohesive devices such as reference, substitution and conjunction. Collocation and reiteration were also used in the discourse. Significantly, there was no evidence of ellipsis in the text. It was evidenced that there was the appropriate use of cohesive devices in this political discourse and the paper concluded that through the analysis of cohesive devices in speeches, especially political speeches, thematic focus of a speech can be discerned.