This paper investigates Barack Obama’s style of speech. First of all, the purpose is to examine how Obama’s conceptual metaphors and other distinct style markers in his speeches frame himself and...Show moreThis paper investigates Barack Obama’s style of speech. First of all, the purpose is to examine how Obama’s conceptual metaphors and other distinct style markers in his speeches frame himself and his views in terms of the three rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos and logos. Second, it is intended to test whether the given style markers undergo any change or remain consistent over the period of his presidency. A quick review of his first and the last State of the Union Address reveals that his most recent speech makes use of humour and informal expressions like phrasal words and colloquialisms in contrast to the serious tone and official language of the first address. The methodology employed in this paper consists of the stylistic checklist by Leech & Short (2007), the Metaphor Identification Procedure (Pragglejaz Group 2007) and the Conceptual Metaphor Theory by Lakoff and Johnson (1980). The theoretical framework applied is based on the concepts of canons of rhetoric, metaphor and metaphor in politics as well as framing. An analysis using the above-mentioned theories and framework reveals how Obama frames himself, Americans as people, and how he structures the American realities of life in terms of three rhetorical appeals.Show less
