Also I think, as for us, and for these partners it is important not to lose this special status of economic relationship, and such threat, while the accession to the
I, of course, can judge and has to judge the new prime minister of Italy not on the basis of five-minute conversation on the phone, but on the basis of those
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In English language material verbs like ask, say, tell, thank, propose, etc.
are the examples of verbs of speech activity.
The fourth group of verbs is presented by modal predicates has to, can, is compelled. These modal personal predicates are used almost in all Addresses of Vladimir Putin, his personal duty and opportunity (I can) is expressed everywhere:
I, of course, can judge and has to judge the new prime minister of Italy not on the basis of five-minute conversation on the phone, but on the basis of those political and economic directives, on the views he declared publicly during the election campaign [Putin, 2001].
I have to say that all our discussions with the President Bush were and are very productive [Putin, 2002].
The fifth group of verbs expresses intensions and desires the speaker: I want, I would like. The form would like, dictated by etiquette, is becoming more and more typical for Russian political discourse and already perceived as norm of speech.
The analysis of frequency predicates in present tense shows that Vladimir Putin on the first uses the phrase I consider, on the second place - I suggest. And the construction I ask is also displayed in his discourse:
I ask to finish development and adoption of the relevant federal law in shortest terms [Putin, 2007]. I ask acts as the neutral analog of I require, besides with emphasized politeness.
Vladimir Putin often chooses predicates expressing opinion: I think, and I know, which shows more confidence:
I know that the work given was not easy, I know how difficult it was, and let's put it straightforward, I know, how many conflicts, and disputes it caused [Putin, 2001].
Sometimes the president emphasizes his own confidence in the situation, instead of thoughts and assumptions by using I am sure, which expresses high degree of the feeling:
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I think that such statements (not only I think – I am sure) are groundless and have no reasonable bases [Putin, 2007].
In speeches of Barack Obama we can more likely find such frequency predicates as I want and I believe, the American leader prefers cognitive verbs.
The Russian language culture prefers finite verbs of speech, and American – strong-willed. The usage of cognitive verbs doesn’t depend on language culture, they are inherent both in the discourse of the head of Russia and the president of the USA.
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CONCLUSION
On basis of the conducted research the following conclusions are made:
Political discourse is one of the most intimately examined sorts of discourse. Its popularity is connected with the subject of research – special sphere of human activity – politics, with different forms of which we face every day.
There is a determined well-established model of public word in the sphere of political oratory in the mass minds. Specifics of speech image formation are expressed by such essential categories as cleanness, propriety, conciseness, vivid personal principles, “dialogueness” - adjustment for communication, contact with the audience providing literacy and skillfulness. Using hackneyed or blurring phrases or clichés, depersonalization, excessive bookishness, slips of the tongue are always directed against the speaker, lowing his rhetoric and personal image, weakening the effectiveness and influence of his performance.
Efficiency of political communication in the modern world is permanently connected with the appearance and development of new genres of political discourse. President’s Message to the Parliament is one of them.
Specificity of Message genre is predicated by cooperation of conventional and intentional text parameters. Their comparison revealed vector changes of such logical syntax-oriented and compositional parameters of the author intention as characterization propositions, subjective modality, persuasiveness, individually-authorial communicative competence. The main vector of Message genre adoption is actualization of speaker’s intention and pragmatic statements on every level of text organization.
Annual President’s Message to the Parliament takes a special place in the genre structure of political discourse as it is a historically formulated form of cooperation of legislative and executive branches of the government in the countries with presidential regime.
The communicative strategies applied in Obama’s Message revealed in its structure, which includes the following elements:
– compulsory frame components: а) appellation to the Addresse –
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members of Congress; b) conclusion where Barack Obama traditionally appellates to God;
– main points: а) introduction part, not big in size, where the president sideway underlines his status speaking of his responsibility as the head of the state to deliver a Message to the Parliament; b) retrospective part where Obama turns to the past emphasizing historical meaning of the moment; c) making a statement devoted to achievements of the last year and problems of the future; d) recommendation part which is as a rule the biggest one and includes information about suggested measures; e) inspirational part which goal is to unite the audience.
The components listed above not necessarily go in the given order, more over, they are usually mixed with each other during the whole speech.
The analysis of compositional structure of the main part of the Message approves that this genre is characterized by three processes closely connected with each other: thinking about real values, staging and evaluating the important problems and political recommendations113. The texts of speeches of president Obama are oriented on modeling the program “from the past through the present to the future”.
Thus, the following genre characteristics, which distinguish annual Message to Congress from other genres of epidictic rhetoric, can be drafted: 1) marking out the main tasks and aims for the next year; 2) uniting the listeners in one nation (the Message is addressed to governmental officials, but in fact looks to wide audience); 3) appealing to the past as a source of traditional values of the nation and its reconstruction to describe the future.
State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly is a special and very typical genre for Russian political discourse, where the president draws conclusions on the annual work of the government and allots strategic and tactical tasks for the next year. The process of actualization of the determined semantic and lexical layer, introduction and fixation of changes in the active vocabulary of the
113 Karlyn Campbell. Presidents creating the presidency: deeds done in words. - London: University of Chicago Press, 2008. – p. 36.
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society take place. The genre of Address appeals to originality, uniqueness, the Message intends to be memorable, the used linguistic constructions should be potentially “fashionable” and become popular. The traditional continuation along with language innovations in the political discourse are expressed by the means of evaluation.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY