Analysing John Evans Atta Mills' Speeches Projecting him as „A Man of Peace‟
The research investigates some selected political speeches of John Evans Atta Mills through the lenses of sociolinguistics. This is against the back drop that Ghana's post-independence political history which is largely characterized by the construction of beliefs about its leaders, especiall...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Lasting Impressions Press
2019-09-01
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| Series: | International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.eltsjournal.org/archive/value7%20issue3/11-7-3-19.pdf |
| Summary: | The research investigates some selected political speeches of John Evans Atta Mills through the
lenses of sociolinguistics. This is against the back drop that Ghana's post-independence political history
which is largely characterized by the construction of beliefs about its leaders, especially those who rise
to become president. The selected speeches cover every aspect of his political life, including- a
campaign speech (as an opposition leader in the run- up to the 2008 elections), an Inaugural speech, an
Independent day speech, a Republic day speech and a New year’s eve message to the nation (all as
president). The objective of the research is to ascertain the veracity or mendacity of the accolade
'Asomdwee Hene' translated as 'Man of Peace' as was championed by the campaign machinery of his
party (in the heat of the 2008 presidential elections) to describe him; a title which metamorphosed into
a household term in Ghana's political space. Through an eclectic approach, the analysis encapsulated
the metafunctions as postulated in Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics and Onah’s Concept of
Peace as perceived in the African Traditional culture as its framework. To this end, the analysis was
structured into three parts (Fairclough, 2001). The first part analyzed the stylistic features prevalent in
the selected political speeches and was followed by an interpretation of the discursive properties based
on the socio-cultural and political setting of the country. This was however carried out concurrently
with an explanation of the socio-cultural and political setting which forms the bases for our
understanding of the speeches. The findings of the research show that the selected speeches resonate
with Onah's concept of peace in the African Traditional Culture- Peace as a result of harmonious living,
Peace as a gift from God and Peace as a pre-condition for progress. |
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| ISSN: | 2308-5460 2308-5460 |