The Pandemic Discourse: A Cross-Cultural Case Study

Abstract

The paper examines speech samples of 5 politicians, namely the presidents of Sudan, Brazil, United States, Indonesia and the British queen. Samples are taken from and specifically focused on public speech related to the events regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic. The goal of the research is to make a cross-cultural linguistic comparison based on the qualitative data. The methodology is anchored in discourse analysis of the speech samples and their interpretation. The examination has shown there are considerable individual and cultural differences between the studied subjects, which can be seen from the point of view of discourse analysis, especially in the context of power and media influence. Additionally, the paper suggests further possible points of view from which other disciplines might be used in order to build a more comprehensive understanding of the studied matter.