Political commitments and ideologies: A diachronic transitivity analysis of Philippine presidents’ inaugural speeches

Abstract

This study analyzes the transitivity processes in the inaugural speeches of Filipino presidents from 1899 to 2016. Using Halliday’s (1985) transitivity system model, this study aims to examine what process types are present in the inaugural speeches of these Filipino presidents, how these inaugural speeches differ in a diachronic scale, and how these processes are employed in the corpus. Findings revealed that all processes were evident in the inaugural speeches of the Filipino presidents, while the semantic aspect of the diachronic inquiry presented a significant variation of themes. It was further revealed that among these process types, the material process was the most frequently used by the Filipino presidents in presenting solutions to current problems, depicting a new government under their administration, and pertaining to God as divine providence in running the government. It was followed by the relational process, which was employed in explaining concepts, accentuating the prime responsibility of the government and the people, and describing the challenges the government faces; while the mental process was mainly used by the Filipino presidents in expressing their dispositions and political beliefs, manifesting their desire for the welfare of people, and inspiring the public to be part of nation-building. This study mainly puts forward the notion that transitivity processes play a distinct role in the inaugural speeches of Filipino presidents in persuading and informing the public as regards their ideologies and commitments.

Keywords

• inaugural speeches
• language and politics
• philippine presidents
• political discourse
• transitivity analysis