Language and Power: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Political Speeches

Abstract

A CDA of political speeches to investigate the link between rhetoric and authority. Public opinion, policy, and ideological narratives are all profoundly impacted by political rhetoric. Examining politicians' use of language in speeches, this study seeks to understand how they legitimise their authority, manipulate public perception, and exert their power. Examining the speeches given by well-known politicians through the lenses of critical discourse analysis, rhetorical strategies, framing tactics, and the building of political identities. Topics like persuasion, inclusion/exclusion, and the formation of "us versus them" dichotomies are the main points of the analysis. the ways in which gender, class, racism, and nationality are all woven into language in order to create power dynamics. Examining political speeches from various cultural backgrounds, this research seeks to reveal how language establishes power dynamics and either upholds or questions preexisting social systems. In the end, the research clarifies how language plays a multifaceted function in political discourse and how it can preserve and alter social power structures.