The ANALYSIS OF OBAMA’S RHETORICAL STYLE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF LINGUISTIC TECHNIQUES

Abstract

Barack Obama's rhetorical strategy is one of the most surprising in recent
political oratory. A political victory that reinforces the thesis that language is a
powerful weapon for influencing citizens. The relationship between power,
discourse and cognition forms the theoretical boundary of this analysis. The
author of the study below sets out to define the relationship between the political
personality and the linguistic personality of the political actor, to identify and
appreciate the appropriateness of certain techniques of political discourse, used
with the aim of transforming political information into an instrument of
persuasion. The case analysed is that of the Inaugural Address delivered by
Obama on his first speech as as President of the USA, a speech based on literal and,
above all, metaphorical meanings. This speech, which has become a historic one,
marking a 'new era' for the American people, is going to be considered from a
pragmatic point of view.