Speeches (Mr Sawyer) Flashcards
When were Chief Joseph’s speech(s)?
1877/1879
When was Edward’s abdication speech?
1936
When was Julia Gillard’s speech?
2012
When was George Saunders graduation speech?
2013
Register within the abdication speech.
High due to education and high status as King. Some prestige language.
Register within Chief Joseph
Relatively high, shifts in formality, lack of education / different formal American cultures, non-English valediction at end which affects formality.
Register within the graduation speech.
High due to higher education level and it being a formal occasion, regularly approaches informal register with lower words, likely to appeal to younger audience.
Register within Julia Gillard’s speech
High due to importance of role as prime minster, high education, drop in formal register ‘man’s bitch’ which is not ameliorated.
Structural features of Julia Gillard’s speech.
Paragraphed, regular argument and speech, cyclical ‘well this must not be tolerated’ keeping argument in sight, temporal discourse markers which are used for listing ‘and then’. Repetition to show passion, power and emotive side ‘I was offended’, ‘repulsive double standards’.
Structural features of George Saunders text.
Organised methodically into sections, anecdotes to failures of kindness to how to be kinder to reflection of success to future advice, cyclical structure as he keeps purpose in sight at end, many discourse markers to keep anecdotes and speech flowing. Short sentences to show regret and keep audience involved. Hypophora, ask a question and answer it.
Structure within the abdication speech.
Carefully structured to convey key messages in almost tabloid paragraphs, repetition of second person ‘you’ show personal connection to his people. Cyclical structure, key motifs of ‘new king’ and ‘burden’ appearing in early paragraphs and being repeated in end. Adjacency pairs to keep speech flowing.
Structure within Chief Joseph’s speech.
Transcript of spoken text, cyclical structure ‘I was granted permission’ to ‘spoken for his people’, past present to future structure as ‘the Indian is waiting’.
Semantics in the abdication speech
Constitutional, monarchy, political, emotional, love, patriotism.
Chief Joseph semantics
Deception, political, freedom, emotion, equality.
George Saunders semantics
Education, life, future, emotive language about kindness, personal pronouns.
Semantics in Julia Gillard’s speech
Politics, gender, misogyny, emotive showing passion.
Syntax (fluency) within abdication speech.
Very fluent, pre-written, minor slip up ‘her family’ rather than his.
Syntax (fluency) within Chief Josephs Speech.
Asyndetic listing, short sentences inaccuracy of translation?, first person pronouns as sentence starters. Quite fluent, pre-thought out.
George Saunders Syntax/fluency
Fluent as pre-planned and pre-written, writer so well thought out structured writing.
Syntax within Julia Gillard’s speech.
Well planned, flows well and fluent, adversarial nature, short sentences.
Lexis in Julia Gillard’s speech.
High range due to higher education and role as prime minister, more suited with more choice.
Lexis in George Saunders’ speech.
High range due to higher education, profession makes him more suited with more choice, not very complex to appeal to younger audience.
Lexis in abdication speech.
Larger due to high level of education, high role as King of England, input of multiple people? Pre written.
Lexis in Chief Josephs Speech
Narrower due to education, may be smaller due to inaccurate translation.
Context of Chief Josephs Speech
- Led his people to resist takeover of his lands by white settlers, surrendered in 1877.
- In 1879 made a speech to President Rutherford to plead his people’s case, unsuccessful.
- His people eventually resettled many miles from their home.
Abdication Speech Context
- Edward VIII’s proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee, led to a constitutional crisis.
- Delivered to people of Britain and British empire as a wireless broadcast.
Julia Gillard’s speech context.
- Speaking against Tony Abbott’s motion to remove Peter Slipper as speaker.
- ‘misogyny speech’ attracting both positive and negative attention across the world.
George Saunders speech context
- Prize winning American writer celebrated for short stories.
- Professor at Syracuse University and delivered the convocation speech.
