Presidential Speeches Research Articles

Quantifying the uniqueness and divisiveness of presidential discourse

Abstract Do American presidents speak discernibly different from each other? If so, in what ways? And are these differences confined to any single medium of communication? To investigate these questions, this paper introduces a novel metric of uniqueness based on large language models, develops a new lexicon for divisive speech, and presents a framework for assessing the distinctive ways in which presidents speak about their political opponents. Applying these tools to a variety of corpora of presidential speeches, we find considerable evidence that Donald Trump’s speech patterns diverge from those of all major party nominees for the presidency in recent history. Trump is significantly more distinctive than his fellow Republicans, whose uniqueness values appear closer to those of the Democrats. Contributing to these differences is Trump’s employment of divisive and antagonistic language, particularly when targeting his political opponents. These differences hold across a variety of measurement strategies, arise on both the campaign trail and in official presidential addresses, and do not appear to be an artifact of secular changes in presidential communications.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Elements of Influence in Abdul Latif Rashid's Statements

Political leaders use language to persuade and attract audiences and followers. Iraq is considered a prominent mediator to resolve most of the Middle East's critical problems. Iraq's presidents have had a real influence on the international community in addressing some of the suspended issues in the Middle East. The present study aims to investigate the elements of influence in Iraq's president's speech during his participation at the 33rd summit of the Arab League in Manama. The data of the present study is taken from Iraqi President Abdul Latif's speech during the 33rd Arab Summit in Manama. The present study adopts a qualitative research approach through which excerpts from the Iraqi president’s speech are analyzed in light of Fairclough and Weddick (1993). The findings of the present study reveal that three out of the five CDAs strategies are employed, including Referential, Mitigative, and Perspective strategies. It is recommended that more investigations be conducted in areas other than the linguistic area.

Automated question answering for unveiling leadership dynamics in U.S. Presidential speeches

This study introduces an innovative methodology utilising deep learning and automated question-answering techniques to explore leadership dynamics. The research analyses 989 speeches from U.S. Presidents, ranging from George Washington to Joe Biden, applying a machine learning model to decipher the essence of effective leadership within the context of presidential rhetoric. This approach facilitates an interrogation of “What constitutes a great leader?” by extracting pertinent attributes from these presidential discourses. The study conducts a comprehensive statistical examination of the responses generated, unveiling the evolution of presidential perspectives on leadership across historical epochs. Furthermore, the research employs a regression analysis that extends over 120 years, integrating the attributes of outstanding leadership with the Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) index specific to the United States. The findings indicate that periods marked by heightened uncertainty necessitate leaders with a charismatic approach, whereas servant leadership is more effective during times of reduced uncertainty. An extensive validation and robustness assessment of the study affirm that the outcomes are steadfast, notwithstanding variations in key parameters of the deployed machine learning models. Moreover, these findings align coherently with the qualitative assessments of U.S. Presidential views on leadership undertaken in prior research, thus contributing novel insights into the intricate relationship between leadership qualities and historical and economic contexts.

PUTIN AND BIDEN’S SPEECHES ON THE RUSSIAN INVOLVEMENT IN UKRAINE: DIALOGUE AND POLEMICS

Throughout the world’s long tradition with war, it has often been raised as a question whether any war was worth waging, and if so, when and how? The reply to this philosophical maze of extreme convictions differs depending on whom you ask. In this present article, we tackled the ideological differences that lead to the discrepancies between answers given by Russia and the United States of America. For this, we took as primary sources the speeches of 24 February 2022 that Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden made on Russia’s immediate involvement in Ukraine. We tried to look for dialogic clash over the choice of diction as a major ideological stance, relying on Michael Bakhtin’s theory of dialogism and his notions of hidden polemics and parody to illustrate the condemnation of the war on one end and its justification on the other. The aim was to extrapolate the themes tackled and their sequence by referring to the just war theory in its three divisions jus ad bellum, jus in bello, and jus post bellum which together structure the ancient practice of the art of war in its distinct phases. Biden and Putin heavily bid on these notions to give their viewpoints legal and ethical legitimacy and convince the international community of their just causes. Through this study, we found that the presidents stylized their speeches to follow each other’s, giving responses in an implicit and tacit manner, which we uncovered as hidden polemics in their styles of diction. We have also discovered that both presidents evoked their nemesis’ violation of the just war theory and defended their own just cause and respect for international regulation. This study falls within the field of discourse analysis that is a key element in understanding politics on the levels of presidential speeches.

The Semantics of Verbs in Mam Jalal's Presidential Speeches

The Semantics of Verbs in Mam Jalal's Presidential Speeches

STRUCTURE AND SEMANTICS OF THE INAUGURAL SPEECH IN THE PRESIDENTIAL DISCOURSE (ON THE MATERIAL IN UKRAINIAN, POLISH, SLOVAK AND SERBIAN LANGUAGES)

The article is devoted to the study of structural and semantic features of the main speech genre of presidential rhetoric — the inaugural speech. We characterized the main approaches to defining the speech genre and highlighted the structural components of the inaugural speech in political discourse. The purpose of the study is to reveal the structural and semantic features of the presidents’ inaugural speeches presented in Slavic languages (Ukrainian, Polish, Slovak and Serbian). The object of the research is the presidential discourse implemented in the speech activity of the presidents of Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia and Serbia. The subject of the study is the structural components and semantic features of the inaugural speeches in the presidential discourse. We analyzed the inaugural speeches of the presidents who held this position in the first half of 2024: Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukraine), Andrzej Duda (Republic of Poland), Zuzana Čaputová (Slovak Republic), Aleksandar Vučić (Republic of Serbia). The material for the analysis was the texts of the inaugural speeches delivered by the presidents in the last term. The methods of component and linguistic stylistic analysis were used to analyze the structural and semantic features of the inaugural speeches. The component analysis made it possible to consider the lexical semantics, and the linguistic stylistic analysis became the basis for determining the stylistic features of the texts. The structure of the inaugural speech covers the framework elements of the greeting, conclusion, formulation of the political creed. Speech acts of thanksgiving are the main structural elements of the inaugural speech of the presidents. At the semantic level, the inaugural speech contains a description of the political situation in the country in the context of historical events and a specification of program provisions of a priority nature. Common elements for the inaugural speeches of the presidents of Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia and Serbia are the presence of mandatory structural elements, the dominance of speech acts of thanksgiving, appeals to the historical past and the formulation of future political steps. Among the specific features of presidential speeches, the use of ethnonyms in the speeches of V. Zelenskyi and A. Duda was recorded; the dominance of references to ancient history in the speeches of A. Duda and O. Vuchich; V. Zelenskyi’s criticism of the previous government, in particular the country’s presidents.

Modalitas dalam sambutan Presiden Joko Widodo dalam peluncuran govtech Indonesia linguistik fungsional sistemik

This research examines President Joko Widodo's speech at the launch of GovTech Indonesia using the theory of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). This research aims to determine the use of modalities in the president's speech. The theory used in this research uses the theory of Halliday and Matthiessen (2004). The method used is a qualitative method with descriptive presentation. The findings in this research show that President Joko Widodo's welcoming text at the launch of GovTech Indonesia uses medium to high modalities, with the modalities of want, must, and also will. Overall, the choice of modality in President Joko Widodo's speech text reflects a measurable communication strategy which is the main key to making the message in the President's speech stronger and more influential. This aims to represent President Joko Widodo's ability to carry out his vision, plans and future improvements for the better welfare of the Indonesian state.

Intense impressions: Joseph R. Biden toward a 2020 national grief

By mid-May of 2020, the United States surpassed 100,000 lives lost to COVID-19. The nation was scrambling to make sense of the global pandemic amid the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Focusing on Biden’s pandemic-related speaking moments throughout the 2020 election, I attend to the way Biden lingers in the felt intensities of grief. With this, I illustrate how Biden’s articulations of grief rely on affective intensities which situate a personal grief in open relation to an invisible other, a reaching out, the towardness of which moves away from the particular and toward the singular collective—national grief. Utilizing affect theory, public feelings scholarship, and precedential expectations for presidential speech, I argue that Biden’s grief rhetoric, against the absence of any similar grief-related public address from Trump during this time, defines the emergence of an affective national body—a grieving public. This analysis weaves between notions of individual and collective loss and prompts wider questions of presidential responsibility in response to shared trauma.

Analyzing “Jayu” in South Korean presidential rhetoric: a comprehensive study from 1948–2023 with a focus on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration

The current study examines the strategic use of “Jayu” (freedom or liberty) in South Korean politics, with a focus on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration, where it symbolizes conservative ideologies and political identity. Employing Natural Language Processing, time-series analysis, and visualization techniques, the research analyzes presidential speeches to explore Yoon’s marked emphasis on Jayu, indicative of a strong conservative allegiance. The findings reveal a significant association between the utilization of Jayu and conservative strategies, underscoring its crucial role in Yoon’s political strategy and its function in garnering support from conservative factions within a polarized political context. Yoon’s discourse, characterized by an extensive use of Jayu, fosters polarization and partisanship, moving away from inclusive dialog. This study illuminates the role of symbolic language in political communication and identity formation, providing insights into the interplay between rhetoric and ideological positions in the intricate political landscape of South Korea.

Have agricultural and applied economists lost sight of the land‐grant mission? A textual analysis of Presidential Addresses and Invited Papers from 1919–2022

AbstractAgricultural and applied economists have maintained a public discourse at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) meetings and subsequently published papers discussing the mission of land‐grant institutions and the role of AAEA members in that mission. With a content analysis of 4001 Invited Papers and Presidential Speeches, we find agricultural and applied economists questioned their profession's purpose and role within the land‐grant system. The reflective questions still apply to land‐grant institutions and the agricultural and applied economics profession. We argue that AAEA members are crucial in addressing the food and agricultural challenges connected to society's deepest needs today and into the future.

Presidential Discourses on Regionalism in Azerbaijan: Turkic Solidarity and the Silk Road

Abstract Drawing on theories of comparative regionalism, this article examines the construction of regionalist frames in Azerbaijan covering the period from 1993 to mid-2023. By examining more than 60 text passages from presidential speeches and statements, the study identifies two framings of regionalism that have dominated presidential discourses in Azerbaijan: the discourse of Turkic solidarity or unity (in the political-security domain) and the narrative of an East-West corridor or the revival of the Silk Road for transport of cargo and hydrocarbon resources (in the economic domain). By constructing these discursive frames, Azerbaijani state leaders crafted an alternative regional order reconstituting the geographic category of “South Caucasus” into a new, spatially broader area. In this formulation, “South Caucasus” is viewed as a central pillar of the Silk Road, and Azerbaijan as one of its focal points or nodes. While the study underscores a key role that actors and ideas play in the formation of regions and regional institutions, it also highlights how social construction of regional identities is embedded in and shaped by historical experiences and country-specific political-economic conditions such as historical memories, experiences of war, collective identities and cultural affinities, geographic location, domestic political economic structures, and international linkages.

Taking intra-executive politics into public arenas? Analysis of presidential speeches in six semi-presidential European countries

Although public communication is a key aspect of political leadership, there is no systematic comparative research on the speeches of presidents in European semi-presidential countries. In such regimes, constitutionally weaker presidents are tempted to use the public podium for increasing their influence, potentially igniting intra-executive quarrels that debilitate decision-making. To gauge this general dynamic, this article analyses the official speeches of Czech, Finnish, French, Polish, Portuguese and Romanian presidents between 2000 and 2020. It first explores the ‘politicalness’ of presidents’ public activity through the general tone and the share of references to economy in the speeches. It then examines how societal conditions, party-political dynamics and public opinion impact the tone and content of presidential addresses. Presidents largely adopt a positive or neutral tone even during cohabitation or economic downturn, but occasionally intervene in issues under the government’s jurisdiction. The results highlight the complex and precarious nature of semi-presidentialism.

Breakdown and reform: the Chilean road to the creation of ministries of hygiene and social welfare 1892-1931.

Doctors have played an important role in the development of health institutions in Latin America. However, they are not the only profession that has had a voice in these matters. There are also other factors influencing the development of ministries of health. This issue has gone unnoticed in the literature. This article suggests that it is possible to identify two distinct trends in the creation of health ministries in Latin America. The first, of an early nature, was seen principally in Central America and the Caribbean in countries dependent on or under the influence of the United States which, from the 1880s, promoted health Pan-Americanism. The second trend, which became apparent from 1924, was characterised by the emergence of ministries in a context of institutional breakdown and the appearance of new actors (military or populist leaders). This second trend was first seen in Chile in 1924. This article analyses the creation of the Ministerio de Higiene, Asistencia y Previsión Social (Ministry of Hygiene, Assistance and Social Security) in Chile in 1924 and its subsequent development through to 1931. The analysis looks at the health measures adopted, the context in which this occurred and the debates triggered by the ministry's process of institutional development, based on parliamentary discussions, presidential speeches, official statistics, legislation, documents prepared by key actors and the press of the time.

Вербальный имидж 44-го президента США Барака Обамы: самопрезентация и взгляд СМИ

The present article analyzes the verbal image of Barack Obama in the speeches of the former president himself and in a situational-analytical article about him in a British online newspaper. The aim of the current research is to identify invariant and variant features of the verbal image of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, in the media and in the president's own speeches. The scientific novelty of the study is substantiated by the results of the analysis, which reveal significant differences in the communicative targets of the speakers from the perspective of self-presentation on one side and in terms of how the image is constructed in the media on the other. The article provides a description of the lexical-syntactic means of verbalizing the president's image and compares the metasemiotic content of the speeches and the article in terms of shaping Barack Obama's image. In his own speeches, the former president is portrayed as an expert in his position, while in the analytical article, Barack Obama is depicted as a politician not deserving of trust. The obtained results demonstrate that opposing communicative aims in speeches and articles are reflected in the contrasting portrayal of the president's image through phonological, lexical, phraseological, morphosyntactic, and non-verbal components of the text.

President’s constitutional powers and public activism: a focused analysis of presidential speeches under Finland’s two presidencies

Changes in formal powers of political actors like presidents are expected to impact their behavior. This study examines speeches that presidents can utilize for a variety of purposes ranging from topical reflections to new political initiatives and criticism of the government and political parties. In semi-presidential regimes, presidents are often constitutionally weaker than governments, but their popularity opens the possibility of using the public platform for swaying the minds of citizens or politicians. We analyze the tone and content of Finnish presidents’ New Year’s messages and parliamentary speeches from 1932 to 2023. To contribute to the long-standing literature on regime effects, we gauge the impact of Finland’s comprehensive constitutional reform that stripped off most powers of the presidency that was formerly considered among the strongest in Europe. The results show that presidential activity changed already in the mid-1990s when the reform was still underway, and presidents appointed since then speak systematically less about domestic policy and emphasize national unity and citizens, indicating that constitutionally weaker presidents recognize their jurisdictional limits and lean more on their role as directly elected heads of state operating above political parties.

“Oh, it’s just them Indians”: Indigenous Case Study toward interrupting the manifestations of native student oppression

This study introduces Indigenous Case Study (ICS) as a methodology poised to foster decolonized and anti-racist spaces. ICS is a weaving of TribalCrit, critical and Indigenous methodological approaches, and considers contemporary and historical contexts, simultaneously. In the current manuscript, ICS helps reimage campuses through revised policies and practices that work toward the creation of decolonized and inclusive institutions for Native students and communities. ICS allows for deeper analyses as we interrogate the dissonance between university president’s statements about race and inclusion, institutional policies and practices, and the experiences of Native students as shared through student stories. We explore historical documents, president speeches, campus events, individual interviews, and researcher auto-narratives in Sharing Circles over the course of five years. The findings situate historical and contemporary campus contexts as we reveal five manifestations of oppression experienced by Native students: exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence. ICS provides circular and methodical methods that offer the opportunity to think in more complex ways as we offer findings and discussions on the cultivation of decolonized and anti-racist spaces.

The Diversification of the Russian Gender Contract and the Conservative Turn

The essay examines the overlaps and contradictions between the three components of the gender contract in contemporary Russia: government policy and legislation, organisational policies, and individual practices and attitudes. Using a variety of data sources—presidential speeches, official policy documents and entries by Moscow-based companies to the competition ‘The Best Company for Working Mothers’ (2008–2015)—the study finds that while highly paid working mothers might take advantage of the institutional conditions of defamilialism, low-income and unemployed mothers become the subject of the familialist policies of the state and small and medium companies.

Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric and ICE Reporting Interest: Evidence from a Large-Scale Study of Web Search Data

Abstract This paper studies whether media cues can motivate interest in reporting suspected unauthorized immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Using web search data and automated content analysis of cable news transcripts, we examine the role of media coverage on searches for how to report immigrants to ICE and searches about immigrant crime and welfare dependency. We find significant and persistent increases in news segments on crime by after Trump's inauguration, accompanied by a sharp increase in searches for how to report immigrants. We find a strong association between daily reporting searches and immigration and crime coverage. Using searches during broadcasts of presidential speeches, we isolate the specific effect of anti-immigrant media coverage on searches for how to report immigrants to ICE. The findings indicate that the media's choices regarding the coverage of immigrants can have a strong impact on the public's interest in behaviour that directly harms immigrants.

The tone of the president's immigration rhetoric

AbstractWe examine the tone of the president's immigration policy speeches as a function of the political context, policy characteristics, and individual presidents in two ways. First, we describe the tone of the president's immigration rhetoric using DICTION software and its five global categories of tone. Second, we hypothesize that commonality and optimism, two categories of tone expressive of immigration policy, will co‐vary by political context, policy characteristics of immigration, and a president's approach to rhetoric. To test our expectations, we collected presidential mentions of immigration since 1953 from the Public Papers of the Presidents. Key variables, like the president's honeymoon and the post‐9/11 era, increase a president's commonality tone, and the president's approval ratings encourage greater optimism. Individual presidents also shape presidential rhetoric, indicating the importance of presidential style to immigration tone, especially for optimism. We conclude with implications of our work for the systematic study of presidential tone and the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform.

Exploring Transitivity in Speeches of President Joko Widodo Using UAM Corpus Tool

This research investigates the transitivity system as a part of systemic functional linguistics theory together with the UAM Corpus Tools 3.2, developed by Donnel (2008) in the presidential speeches of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (hereafter JW). It focuses on analyzing processes, participants, and circumstances. The research is a descriptive qualitative study. The speech transcripts of President Joko Widodo in 2015 and 2018 are stored in a text file (.txt) with UTF-8 encoding. The findings of this research showed that material process types were found more than other process types in 2015 and 2018. This indicates that, by using material clauses, JW strongly desires to emphasize real work or action work in his speech. In terms of the participants, Actor and Goal were the most dominant in 2015 and 2018. In terms of Circumstance, Location, Cause, and Manner were the most dominant in 2015 while in 2018, Cause, Manner, and Location were the most dominant. Location is again one of the most dominant circumstance features in the text. This can be considered as consistency in JW’s speeches. On the other hand, the fact that JW utilizes the same elements from the speech from three years prior means that this might not be regarded as a breakthrough.