【讲稿】I have a dream 文体学分析-词汇部分

Lexical Features

King used many clear and common words. They are connected with everyday life such as p romise, check, luxury, fatal, equality, palace, soul, create, creed, fresh, victim, dream, happy, freedom, despair, beautiful, light, home, flame, daybreak, island, ocean and so on.

1)These words are quite familiar to the audience.

2)Considering that King’s audience were from different classes

and background, these daily words can help the audience to

get the main point of King’s speech and to resonate with him

emotionally.

At the same time, he also used some big words in his speech, such as segregation,, magnificent, unalienable, obligation, insufficient, vault, security and so on.

These words are used to create a solemn atmosphere, showing that black people’s urges for equal rights must be taken seriously and the non-violent campaign will not ended until they get equal rights.

In King’s speech, we can find that he uses many words of complete form instead of elliptical form to reinforce the effect of the speech. The

examples are as followed: I am, It is, We have, It would, We must not, We cannot, Let us and so on.

Such words of full form are pronounced much more clearly and have more emphatic effect than those of shortened form.

Beside, this speech uses many first personal pronouns. We (us) come many times, which almost cover every sentence of the speech.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The use of first personal pronoun (We) help to emphasis the emotion and make the audience feel that they are closely associated with the speaker and what he said. The first personal pronoun contains the listener as well as the speaker, and show that they are in the same situation.

people to fight against their freedom and equal status.