Stylistics Analysis on Donald Trump's Speech

 A Stylistics Analysis on Simple and Compound Verb Phrases in President Donald Trump's Speech Transcript “First Strategy Plan on Protecting the United States from Rivals and Enemies”

 By: Sifaul Lutfiyani

I.                   INTRODUCTION

1.1  Background

Speech can be defined as a process by which a speaker delivers certain messages or persuasions to influence the audience. Formal speech usually has a more complex issue, thus the delivery must be arranged intentionally according to the purposive messages of the speech. One of the speeches that have quite complex delivery is speech of President Donald Trump's "First Strategy Plan on Protecting the United States from Rivals and Enemies”. For the complexity of the speech, some people tend to do a deep understanding process to catch the detailed messages.

The speech explanation consists of many clauses containing the message. Verb, as one of the main parts forming the clauses, is considered significant in creating purposive effects to the clauses. Thus, the speaker can adjust the application of the verb according to what points he/she wants to stress, including what President Donald Trump does to his speech. From that, we can say that analyzing the verb phrase is one of the ways we can know the message thoroughly.

Therefore, to know the message of President Donald Trump's speech more deeply, the researcher decided to conduct the research focused on the simple and compound verb phrases found in the speech "First Strategy Plan on Protecting the United States from Rivals and Enemies" transcript.

 

1.2  Problem Statement

The research is meant to make the message of the speech clearly understood considering the complex use of verb phrases in it. In the speech, President Donald Trump explained a lot of issues using verb phrases in the clauses in different categories. Audiences may be overwhelmed by his explanation and not able to catch the specific purposes of his delivering the speech and the points he emphasizes. Thus, the researcher analyzes the use of simple and compound verb phrases in the speech under the approach of qualitative research.

  

1.3  Objectives

1.3.1        To investigate the composition of simple and compound verb phrases used in the Donald Trump speech transcript

1.3.2        To describe the stylistic functions of simple and compound verb phrases used in the Donald Trump speech transcript

 

1.4  Methodology

1.4.1        Data Collection

It is a step to collect the data for this mini-research from the website of Aljazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/18/trump-transcript-america-first-security-speech

1.4.2        Literature Review

It is a discussion part based on previous research and scientific references related to the research from an encyclopedia, journals, books, and the internet

1.4.3        Content Analysis 

      It is a way to analyze data systematically and to make it easy to understand. Firstly, the researcher observes the data to categorize the verb phrases into simple and compound. Secondly, the researcher identifies the functions of the categorized verb phrases in the data. The analysis will use Wright & Hope's (2005) verb phrases stylistic theory.

 

II.                DISCUSSION

2.1  Theoretical Framework

2.1.1        Stylistics

Stylistics according to Matthews (2007) is the study of style in language: traditionally, of variations in usage among literary and other texts; now more generally, of any systematic variation, in either writing or speech, which relates to the type of discourse or its context’. Style is defined as a manner of expressing writing or speaking by assorted linguistics branches (Wales, 2014). In other words, in stylistic research, approaches from other linguistics branches can be used to analyze the data. In this research, the researcher analyzes the data from the perspective of Syntax.

 

2.1.2        Syntax

Syntax is a study on how words are put together to build phrases, with how phrases are put together to build clauses or bigger phrases, and with how clauses are put together to build sentences. The study can enable human beings to compose complex messages (Miller, 2002). In this research, the Syntax perspective is chosen to break down the complexity of the message contained in President Donald Trump's speech "First Strategy Plan on Protecting the United States from Rivals and Enemies" transcript.

 

2.1.3        Phrase

In everyday usage, the term ‘phrase’ is applied only to sequences of more than one word. However, Miller (2002) defines ‘phrase’ as a slot in which one or more words can occur, or indeed in which other phrases can occur.

 Quirk et al (1985) classified phrase constituents into five different types. Those are Prepositional phrase, adjective phrase, verb phrase, noun phrase, adverb phrase.

 

2.1.4        Verb Phrases

Verb phrases consist of an obligatory main verb to which other, auxiliary (aux), verbs may be added, as well as negative particles and adverbs. For example:

-          He presses the snooze button

-          She may see me

May = auxiliary

-          He does not greatly care for the dark purplish bathroom suite

Does = auxiliary, not = negative, greatly = adverb

-          I’ve always wanted an en suite bathroom

‘ve = auxiliary, always = adverb         (Wright & Hope, 2005)

Verb phrases can be either simple or compound, finite or non-finite. However, the focus of this research will be on simple and compound verb phrases.

 

2.1.5        Simple & Compound Verb Phrases

Simple & Compound verb phrases according to Wright & Hope (2005):

·         Simple verb phrases have only one verb in them and it is marked for tense. For example, I see, I saw, nothing happened, I woke up, I went back.

·         Compound verb phrases have at least two verb forms. However, most of them have the first verb as finite and the last as non-finite. For example, I will see, I was seeing, snow has fallen, cops are eating, charladies were flicking.

They explained that the effect of frequently used simple verb phrases is to give the text a matter-of-fact atmosphere. Meanwhile, compound verb phrases are used to narrate times specifically (Wright & Hope, 2005). 

 

2.2  Data Analysis

2.2.1        Composition

In this part of the discussion, the researcher tries to break down the composition of simple and verb phrases found in President Donald Trump's speech transcript by figuring out the percentages of each category. The research found that there are 296 verb phrases included in the transcript consisting of 176 simple verb phrases and 120 compound verb phrases. The detail can be seen in Table 2.2.1.1.

 

Table 2.2.1.1 Composition of simple and compound verb phrases

Type of  Verb Phrases	Simple	Compound
Found Phrases	‘re, want, are, travelled, was, are, are, are, are, are, speak, spoke, spoke, voted, embraced, are, watched, presided, forgot, were, negotiated, brought, sent, engaged,  failed, undercut, shortchanged, failed, pay, neglected, made, put, impossed, surrendered, left, entered, imposed, voted, asked, approved, drifted, lost, lost, lost, lost, lost, began, rejected, rediscovered, reclaimed(50), stoo d, became, am, announced, need, deserve, announced, sanctioned, declined, joined, held, have, flee, are, tell, desire, make, have, set, guarantee, are, is, got, was, have, is, is, hit, watches, are, cuts, is, is not,  is not, is, is not, is not, has, recognises, like, accept, face, threaten, face, spread, face, seek, protects, received, was(100), attack, were, ‘s, ‘s, is, seek, know, is, are, ‘re, are, is, advances, recognises, includes, calls, calls, is, recognizes, is, is, trades, is, emphasises, calls, calls, calls, calls, proposes, embraces, is, recognise, is, is, breaks, calls, calls, has, includes, recognises, calls, outlines, emphasises, recognises, share, shoulder, is, begins, want, share(150), make, respect, respect, thrive, rooted, wish, is, seek, govern, rule, are, is, prevailed, thrived, have, has, invite, are, are, got, do, rediscover, commit, is, is, & bless.	‘ve been, are going, have travelled, have met, have carried, have been, have promoted, have fought, have sacrificed, have liberated, have transformed, have lifted, has been, should listen, must understand, were supposed, were admitted, are allowed, are rejected, have been left, has heard, has seen, is coming, is coming, would return, have been forgotten, are not forgotten, are putting, are rebuilding, have moved, have confronted, are investing, are demanding, are giving, have withdrawn,  will torelate, have established, is getting, have dealt, has recaptured, ‘re chasing, will not let, are beginning, have made, must see, would not allow, are willing, have made, should reimburse, has resulted(50), has united, will take, will ensure, should have been taken, will be taken, are keeping, are liberating, have created, have cut, have unlocked, is watching, will be, are seeing, has tapped, will be, has surged, has returned, are bringing, are reasserting, does not protect,  cannot protect, cannot be, cannot summon, are presenting, has been, is based, is guided, is rooted, are engaged, are playing, will attempt, have been killed, ‘s supposed, will stand, will stand, have never stood,  must be, must be, must intergrate, must compete, is gaining, is leading, am announcing,  are declaring, is going, must protect, cannot secure, do not secure,  will end, must take(100), ‘re going, is magnified, will lead, will champion, will make, will not allow, will pursue, have carried, are calling, are returning, have built, has reigned, must love, must defend, must guard, must is regained, are restored, are fighting, will not fail, & will leave.
Amount Of  each Phrase Type	176	120
Percentage	59.46%	40.54%
Total Amount Of Found Phrases	296

 

From the table above, we can see that President Donald Trump uses simple verb phrases more than compound verb phrases in his speech.

 

2.2.2        Stylistic Functions

In the previous section, the research discusses the composition of the use of simple and compound verb phrases in the speech transcript of President Donald Trump. In this section, the focus is the stylistic functions of the use of simple and compound verb phrases in the speech transcript, and what stylistic effects are given by the use of those verb phrases.

2.2.2.1  Simple verb phrase

      Wright & Hope (2005) stated that the effect of frequently used simple verb phrases is to give the text a matter-of-fact atmosphere. This is also what happens in the case of President Donald Trump's speech transcript.

In the transcript, President Donald Trump uses frequently simple verb phrases to describe Americans in the line "The American people are generous. You are determined, you are brave, you are strong, and you are wise.” By doing so, the president wants to emphasize that Americans particularly those being the audience are simple and clearly have those characteristics. He attempts to point out the matter-of-fact atmosphere in how he describes his people.

Moreover, the frequently used simple verb phrases are also applied in lines when President Donald Trump explains several phenomena such as the cause and effect process that happened in the past time and present time. We can see his explanation about past phenomena in lines “You voted to make America great again. You embraced new leadership and very new strategies, and also a glorious new hope. That is why we are here today.” “Our leaders engaged in nation-building abroad, while they failed to build up and replenish our nation at home. They undercut and shortchanged our men and women in uniform with inadequate resources, unstable funding, and unclear missions” “...our leaders drifted from American principles. They lost sight of America’s destiny. And they lost their belief in American greatness. As a result, our citizens lost something as well. The people lost confidence in their government and, eventually, even lost confidence in their future.,” and “but last year, all of that began to change. The American people rejected the failures of the past. You rediscovered your voice and reclaimed ownership of this nation and its destiny.” Besides, the explanations about present phenomena are in lines, “we face rogue regimes that threaten the United States and our allies. We face terrorist organizations, transnational criminal networks, and others who spread violence and evil around the globe.” “It calls for cutting taxes and rolling back unnecessary regulations. It calls for trade based on the principles of fairness and reciprocity. It calls for firm action against unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft. And it calls for new steps to protect our national security industrial and innovation base.” “The strategy proposes a complete rebuilding of American infrastructure – our roads, bridges, airports, waterways, and communications infrastructure. And it embraces a future of American energy dominance and self-sufficiency.” “This strategy includes plans to counter modern threats, such as cyber and electromagnetic attacks. It recognizes space as a competitive domain and calls for multi-layered missile defense. This strategy outlines important steps to address new forms of conflict such as economic and political aggression,” and “...our strategy emphasizes strengthening alliances to cope with these threats. It recognizes that our strength is magnified by allies who share principles – and our principles – and shoulder their fair share of responsibility for our common security.” As has been explained by Wright & Hope (2005) about the effect of frequently used simple phrases. The application of President Donald Trump's explanations also has the same effect. By using simple verb phrases the delivery of his speech sounds simple, clear, and rooted. It looks like what he delivers is not a made-up thing, yet it is literally what it is. Therefore the use of verb phrases here makes the president's explanation sound real and genuine.

 

2.2.2.2  Compound Verb Phrase

Compound verb phrases are used to narrate times specifically (Wright & Hope, 2005). It is because the tense used in the verb phrases always tells the time specified. It is also what it does in the speech transcript of President Donald Trump. It makes the points of the speech clearer when it comes to times of occurrence. In lines “Over the past 11 months, I have traveled tens of thousands of miles to visit 13 countries. I have met with more than 100 world leaders. I have carried America’s message...” “American people have always been the true source of American greatness. Our people have promoted our culture and promoted our values. Americans have fought and sacrificed on the battlefields all over the world.” “We have liberated captive nations, transformed former enemies into the best of friends, and lifted entire regions of the planet from poverty to prosperity” “On January 20th, 2017...Now, less than one year later, I am proud to report that the entire world has heard the news and has already seen the signs.” “The United States would return to a simple principle: The first duty of our government is to serve its citizens, many of whom have been forgotten. But they have not forgotten anymore. With every decision and every action, we are now putting America first" and “We have cut 22 regulations for every one new regulation, the most in the history of our country. We have unlocked America’s vast energy resources,” the reader can specifically know that the phenomena had been passed and had been through by the president and the nation even if Trump doesn’t mention the specific times. Meanwhile, in lines “we are once again investing in our defense – almost $700bn, a record, this coming year. We are demanding extraordinary strength, which will hopefully lead to long and extraordinary peace.” “We are also bringing back clarity to our thinking. We are reasserting these fundamental truths” “we will stand up for ourselves, and we will stand up for our country like we have never stood up before” and “With the strategy, I am announcing today, we are declaring that America is in the game and America is going to win,”  we can simply understand that the things talked about are either still going on or will be done by the nation in the future. In addition, frequently used compound verb phrases also tell the current focuses of the nation such as depicted in lines “Our new strategy is based on a principled realism, guided by our vital national interests, and rooted in our timeless values.” “To succeed, we must integrate every dimension of our national strength, and we must compete with every instrument of our national power,” and “we must love and defend it. We must guard it with vigilance and spirit, and, if necessary, like so many before us, with our very lives. And we declare that our will is renewed, our future is regained, and our dreams are restored.” Therefore, the use of compound verb phrases in the speech script can draw clear boundaries between past, current, and progressive things of the nation. By the delivery, the audience can easily know if something has been through, is being through, or will be through by them as a nation. Thus, the focus points of the president's speech will be easily understood by the audience.

 

III.             CONCLUSION

Simple verb phrases used in President Donald Trump's speech script make his descriptions of his people and his explanations about phenomena related to the nation sound real and not fictitious. Meanwhile, the use of compound verb phrases in the script gives a clear-cut nation-focused effect according to the times. It makes the things being talked about easily identified whether it is the past, current, or progressive focus of the nation by looking at the delivery; the verb phrases are used.

Furthermore, the dominant use of simple verb phrases compared to compound ones shows that President Donald Trump prioritized his speech to sound genuine and fact-based rather than focused on the different specific times of phenomena he wanted to present to the audiences.

 

References

 

Wright & Hope. (2005). Stylistics: A practical coursebook. Routledge.

Wales, K. (2014). A dictionary of Stylistics(3rd Ed.). Routledge

Matthews, P. H. (2007). The concise Oxford dictionary of linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Miller, J. (2002). An introduction to English syntax. Edinburgh University Press.

Quirk et al. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the English language. London: Pearson Longman.