A Discourse analysis of Barrack Obama’s Speech about Contraception Mandate on 10 February 2012

ABSTRACT

This thesis analyzes the use of modality and cohesion in Barrack Obama’s Speech on 10 February 2012 to find out the use of modality and cohesion and how modality and cohesion used. The researcher chooses Barrack Obama’s speech on 10 February 2012 becomes the data because this speech has social effect in society; most of American citizens give great attention for this regulation. Since the selected speeches are rich of the data needed, therefore, it enables the researcher to maximally analyze how modality and cohesion used through the text. Secondly, Obama’s speech has been a relevant object of the research on modality and cohesion, Obama delivers his speech structurally by using conjunction and modality to strengthen and emphasizing his speech.

This research uses descriptive qualitative research method. There are some steps that are employed by the researcher to analyze this study. First, the researcher downloaded the script of Obama’s speech from http://whitehousegov.com/. Second, the researcher analyzes the context of the speech which use of modality and cohesion. Then, the researcher discusses the findings of modality and cohesion.

After analyzing the data, the researcher finds modality and cohesion which draws on cohesive mark, it can show how Obama uses first person pronouns in his political speech. Mostly, Obama also uses the modality ”must” and “should” in his speech and it has function to emphasizes and strengthens his speech.

This research only focuses on Fairclough’s critical concept which draws on Hallidayian Systemic Functional Grammar. It expected that the next researcher can analyze the concept of transivity through particular tenses, it also important to explain more about the frequency of using modality, how are that kind of modality can be categorized as high, medium or low modalization. The next researcher can use Practical modality which is developed by Simpson as consideration of source.