肯尼迪就职演讲修辞分析教材

合集下载

肯尼迪就职演讲修辞分析

肯尼迪就职演讲修辞分析
3.And let every otherpowerknow that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.(Para 9)
4.And, if abeachheadof cooperation may push back thejungleof suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor……(Para 19)
6.Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here thesamehighstandardsofstrengthandsacrificewhich we ask of you.(Para 27)
3.Letall our neighborsknow thatwe shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. Andletevery other powerknow thatthis hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.(Para 9)
2.And so, my fellow Americans,ask not whatyour country can do for you;ask whatyou can do for your country.(Para 25)
My fellow citizens of the world,ask not whatAmericaห้องสมุดไป่ตู้will do for you,but whattogether we can do for the freedom of man. (Para 26)

肯尼迪就职演讲修辞分析教材

肯尼迪就职演讲修辞分析教材

[Tak ing the oath of Office]1. Vice Preside nt Joh nson, Mr . Speaker , Mr . Chief Justice, Preside nt Eise nhower ,Vice Preside nt Nixon, Preside nt Truma n, revere nd clergy, fellow citize ns:2. We observe today not a victory of party , but a celebrati on of freedom --symboliz ing an end , as well as a beg inning -- sig nifying ren ewal , as well as change . For I have swor n before you and Almighty God the same sole mn oathour forebears prescribed n early a cen tury and three-quarters ago.修辞分析:运用了An tithesis 的修辞手法,前后结构一致,语义相反,容易吸引观众的注意,达到演讲词开篇引人入胜的目的。

这里" a victory of party ”和"a celebration offreedom ”,“ an end ”和“ a beg inning ”等等分别构成对照,强调这不是一个政党的胜利,而是自由的胜利,是结束也是开端,是更新也是变革。

3. The world is very differe nt now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power toabolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet thesame revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe -- the belief that the rights of man come not from the gen erosity of the state, but from the hand of God.修辞分析:该段子划线部分都运用了Repetiti on 的修辞手法。

肯尼迪演讲修辞方法分析范本.ppt

肯尼迪演讲修辞方法分析范本.ppt

Quotation(引用)
1.For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.
2.Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah– to “undo the heavy burdens…and to let the oppressed go free.”
4. Before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destructio. (para11)
排比(Parallelism)
Parallelism: (the arrangement of words, phrases, clauses, or larger structures placed side by side, making them similar in form) Examples:
2. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.

肯尼迪就职演说课件

肯尼迪就职演说课件

Reading Focus—Critical Thinking
Q2
Discuss in groups the following questions.
Also in his inaugural address, President Kennedy said, “...ask not what yourห้องสมุดไป่ตู้country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” Have you asked yourself what you can do for China?
Reading Focus – Detailed Information
25 And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. 26 My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for
为反对这些敌人,确保人类更为丰裕的生活,我们能够组成一个 包括东西南北各方的全球大联盟吗?你们愿意参加这一历史性的努 力吗?
Reading Focus – Detailed Information
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted 24 the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of

肯尼迪就职演说赏析

肯尼迪就职演说赏析

肯尼迪就职演说赏析【篇一:肯尼迪就职演说评析】美国第三十五任总统john fitzgerald francis kennedy (1917-1963)约翰.弗.肯尼迪1961年元月20日在首都华盛顿国会大厦前发表“就职演说”时,我在读初中三年级,学的是俄语。

直到1980年,我才在美国出版的“english for today”“今日英语”教材的第五册里阅读到了这篇演说,而且还听了这篇演说的实况录音。

现在这篇演说已被一字未删地选入《advanced english》“高级英语”(张汉熙主编,商务印书馆出版发行),《21 century college english》“二十一世纪大学英语”(复旦大学,交通大学主编;高等教育出版社,复旦大学出版社出版发行)英语教材里作为高等院校的英语学习教材。

1980年,那时大学外语教学还是很原始落后的。

我想得到英语版的联合国“人权宣言”,但在当时武汉的中南财经学院图书馆里没有。

找到武汉大学图书馆,那里才只有一本油印的“人权宣言”小册子。

我想得到英文版的“中华人民共和国刑法”这书,武汉的外文书店买不到。

我托原北京地院外语老师去北京外国专家局找有关专家打听此书,专家说,《刑法》英文译文由他翻译,正在他手里,由于没有出版,他不能外借。

肯尼迪“就职演说”是在演说之后十九年被我们看到。

时过境迁,2009年元月20日,全世界几乎所有的人都能从网上及各种媒体上听到,见到,读到美国第一位黑人总统奥巴马的“就职演说”。

虽然有的人看到的是被有些媒体屏掉了(recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism notjust with missiles and tanks but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.我们在此回忆先辈,他们战胜了法西斯主义和共产主义,靠的不仅是导弹,坦克;更是靠坚定的盟友和不移的信念。

肯尼迪就职演说分析

肯尼迪就职演说分析

肯尼迪就职演说分析篇一:肯尼迪就职演说评析美国第三十五任总统JohnFitzgeraldFrancisKennedy(1917-1963)约翰.弗.肯尼迪1961年元月20日在首都华盛顿国会大厦前发表“就职演说”时,我在读初中三年级,学的是俄语。

直到1980年,我才在美国出版的“EnglishForToday”“今日英语”教材的第五册里阅读到了这篇演说,而且还听了这篇演说的实况录音。

现在这篇演说已被一字未删地选入《advancedEnglish》“高级英语”(张汉熙主编,商务印书馆出版发行),《21centurycollegeEnglish》“二十一世纪大学英语”(复旦大学,交通大学主编;高等教育出版社,复旦大学出版社出版发行)英语教材里作为高等院校的英语学习教材。

1980年,那时大学外语教学还是很原始落后的。

我想得到英语版的联合国“人权宣言”,但在当时武汉的中南财经学院图书馆里没有。

找到武汉大学图书馆,那里才只有一本油印的“人权宣言”小册子。

我想得到英文版的“中华人民共和国刑法”这书,武汉的外文书店买不到。

我托原北京地院外语老师去北京外国专家局找有关专家打听此书,专家说,《刑法》英文译文由他翻译,正在他手里,由于没有出版,他不能外借。

肯尼迪“就职演说”是在演说之后十九年被我们看到。

时过境迁,20XX年元月20日,全世界几乎所有的人都能从网上及各种媒体上听到,见到,读到美国第一位黑人总统奥巴马的“就职演说”。

虽然有的人看到的是被有些媒体屏掉了(RecallthatearliergenerationsfaceddownFascismandcommunismnotjust withmissilesandtanksbutwithsturdyalliancesandenduringconvictions.我们在此回忆先辈,他们战胜了法西斯主义和共产主义,靠的不仅是导弹,坦克;更是靠坚定的盟友和不移的信念。

肯尼迪就职演讲修辞

肯尼迪就职演讲修辞

肯尼迪就职演讲修辞美国总统约翰·菲兹杰拉德·肯尼迪自幼受到良好的教育,后毕业于哈佛大学。

他发表于1961年1月20日的就职演说中字字、旬句、段段都是经过精心雕琢,其中最大的特点就是大量修辞格的运用。

修辞就是运用语言的时候,根据特定的目的精心选择语言的过程,力求把语言表达的清晰、生动、精彩.它包含有各种修辞格。

演说词中各种修辞格的运用可使得演说词条理清晰,琅琅上口,气势恢宏,引人共鸣.本文拟对肯尼迪就职演说中的修辞进行研究.一、Parallelism{平行)英语Parallelism,意即alongside one another(并排).其基本用法是将结构相同或类似、意义相关或并重、语气也前后一致的语言成分平行并列在一起。

平行的构成可体现于各个语言层次,如单词、短语、从句、句子。

这篇演说词中平行的构成不仅体现在这些方面,而且还体现在段落之间。

(黑体字部分表示运用了修辞格,阻下与此相同)。

单词方面的有:The energy,the faith,the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will⋯短语、从句方面的有:⋯bom in this century,tempered by war,disciplined by a hard and bitter peace,proud of our ancient heritage,and unwillingto wimess or permit the slow undoing ofthese human rights to which this nation has always been committed,and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.仅仅这一段话就包含三组平行结构。

第一组是过去分词引起的短语,第二组是形容词引起的短语,第三组是个定语从旬。

英语论文—肯尼迪就职演讲修辞分析

英语论文—肯尼迪就职演讲修辞分析

IntroductionStylistics is the study of language style with modern linguistic theories and approaches. Functional stylistic theory is one of the most influential theories in recent years, when linguistics lays much emphasis on the social-cultural context. The American Presidential Inaugural Address (APIA) is a very important variety with worldwide influence and long-lasting significance. In the address the speaker makes great efforts to make his policy known to the public and to persuade the public to accept and support his policies. To achieve the aims, the address has to resort to lots of language skills among other things. Therefore, a stylistic study on APIA is extremely meaningful. In the paper, the writer attempts to apply the theories of functional styl istics into the analysis of American president Kennedy’s address, trying to find out the linguistic characteristics of the particular discourse and explain and evaluate them with the theories.1.An Introduction to American Presidential Inaugural AddressThe inaugural address is the speech delivered by the president-elected on the inauguration day.In the speech, for the first time, the newly elected president will officially announce that he will take up that the responsibility as the highest executive of the country in the next four years. Inaugurals mark the end of the election campaign and at the same time the beginning of a new administration. Although the inaugural address is not required by the constitution, it is made every four years by all the presidents before they take office. It has already become a tradition set by the first president—George Washington. As a rule, the new administrator’s philosophy of politics and the outline of his policy will be announced in his inaugural address. The inauguration is held as a celebration witnessed by many audiences.Inaugurals are of great significance because of what they reveal about the fundamental political values, particular political principles, and enactment of a presidential persona. Their political meanings thus become clear. Inaugural addresses attempt to persuade the citizens ofthe nation on that the newly elected president is fit for the political role and that he is entitled to achieve his programmatic objectives. The addresses, then, cast muc h light on the legitimacy of political power and the worldviews of presidents. Their political intention is to call for support and loyalty to a political regime from both other power-holders in the political system and the public at large during their administration.2. An Introduction to Functional StylisticsThe functional linguistic theory advocated by British linguist, M. A. K. Halliday has been prevailing since the 1970s. It is widely used in stylistic analysis. Functional stylistics has three features: first, stressing the relationship between the text and the context of the situation, and advocating studying the style in the social--cultural context; second, adopting systematic-functional grammar in stylistic analysis; third, summarizing the foregrounding theory systematically. Systematic-functional grammar is a very useful approach to stylistic analysis to some extent, and the theory about context is widely accepted.“Context of situation”is originally suggested by Malinowski and subsequently elaborated by Firth in his 1950 paper Personality and language in society. Essentially what this implies is that language comes to life only when functioning in some environment. According to Halliday, the situation is the environment in which the text comes to life. The type of the language, which is selected as appropriate to the type of situation, is a register. He said, “A register can be defined as the configuration of semantic resources that the member of a culture typically associates with a situation type. It is the meaning potential that is accessible in a given so cial context.” (Halliday, 2001:111) He further distinguishes three social variables that determine the register: field of discourse, tenor of discourse, and mode of discourse.The field is the social action in which the text is embedded; it includes the subject-matter, as one special manifestation. The tenor is the set of the role relationships among the relevant participants; it includes levels of formality as one particular instance. The mode refers to the medium or way that the communication between people goes. People usually see speaking and writing as the medium.As far as APIA is concerned, the field of the APIA is political since the newly inaugurated president often uses this address to lay out goals and principles, address the nation’s divisions, beliefs, achievements, domestic and world-wide situations, and project American’s place in the world or future expectation.The tenor of the APLA can be displayed in the following way. The participants in the event are the President of the United States, as an addresser, and all the government officials and all the citizens in the country and even people all over the world, as the addressee.The mode of the APLA is also distinct in the situation. In the situation, every word in the address plays a constitutive role. The speech has to fulfill some functions, or convey the president’s attentions, i.e. to make his government policies known to the public and persuade the public to accept and support his government. So the language used in the context is mainly informative and persuasive.3.A Stylistic Study on Kennedy’ s Inaugural AddressThe following analysis aims to reveal the stylistic features of the American presidential inaugural address. It is mainly based on M. A. K. Hallid ay’s functional stylistic theor ies, especially on his theories about “context”. It also adopts some other commonly accepted linguistic theories. Systematic investigation of the linguistic data is a characteristic of this paper. The analysis is mainly concerned with the lexical level, syntactic level, textual level and rhetorical devices. Because of the close relation between speech skill and rhetorical devices, the analysis on the rhetorical device is also a part of this paper.3.1 The Stylistic Features on the Lexical LevelWord is a basic grammatical unit, which is smaller than sentence. This analysis will begin with the analysis on the lexical level.3.1.1Word StructureStylisticians usually set six letters or three syllables in a word as a standard to analyze the length of the words. The words with more than six letters are usually regarded as long words. These long words may be words of Latin, French or Greek origin, which are usually formal words. And they may also be derivation or compounding words, which have relatively complicated structure.John · Fitzgerald · Kennedy’s inaugural speech has a total vocabulary of 1595, of which there is 438 words with more than six letters, accounting for 26%. In English,the words of more than six letters or three syllable are often seen as big. These words often come from the Latin, Greek or French, or have a complex internal structure. “The percentages in daily conversation, instant commentary, and even advertisement are not more than 20%”.( Wang Zuoliang, 1987:235) So comparatively speaking, the words used in inaugural address of Kennedy are quite formal and the structures of the words are more complicated. There are two reasons for this. First, the president deliberately uses formal words to make his speeches more serious. E.g.: prosperity, discrimination, obligation.Then, the intrinsic structures of the words are quite complicated. There are many derivational or compounding words. The derivation from verbs to nouns is a characteristic of the language in the addresses. We can find many such words: affirmation, aggression, celebration. These derivations not only help to form long words with more complicated structures, but also make the words in the address more formal.There is a long lasting dispute that whether public speaking is a spoken variety or a written one. The above analysis on the lexical level shows clearly that as one type of public speaking, American presidential address embodies more features of a written variety, whic h is characteristic of long, complicated, formal words. These features correspond with the tenor of discourse: both consultative and formal, and mode of discourse: written to be spoken.Besides that, in Kennedy’s address we can find m any abstract nouns with such suffixes as: -tion, -ment, -cy, -ty, for they usually refer to the state, quality, cause or result of an action. This phenomenon is determined by the field of discourse. American presidential inaugural address is one type of public political speaking. Its field of discourse is political. Manypolitical terms are abstract. It is natural for Kennedy to use many abstract nouns in his address.3.1.2Word ClassThe choice of word class is determined mainly by the tenor.The functional tenor of inaugural address is both persuasive and informative. In the inaugural address, the speaker is not only to make his government policies known to the public, but also to persuade the public to accept and support his policy. So like advertisements, inaugural address belongs to a loaded language, which triggers emotional reaction. It should have great persuasive power. So the words used in the inaugural address us ually contain emotional color. This is reflected especially in the use of adjectives and the first-person pronoun.AdjectivesThe use of adjectives in the address is mainly determined by the functional tenor of the language. In the address of Kennedy, there are 105 adjectives, accounting nearly 7.8% in the total words of 1342. This percentage is obviously higher than that instant commentary, which is 5%. (Wang Zuoliang,1987:221) Most of the adjectives are subjective and emotional words, such as: fruitful, peaceful, great, powerful, solemn, hard, steady.This is determined by the functional tenor of the presidential address. In these address the speaker is expected to make their government policies known to the public and to persuade the public to accept and support his policy. In order to achieve these aims, the speaker often resorts to emotional appeal among other things. Adjectives are very useful in expressing one’s emotion, so the speaker uses so many adjectives in the address. Comparatively, there are fewer adjectives in the instant commentary, which is more objective than the inaugural address.On the other hand, the percentage of adjectives is much smaller than that of the advertisement, which is about 30%. (Qin Xiubai, 2002: 309) This is because as a political address with worldwide influence, American presidential address is much more serious thanadvertisements. Preaching political views is different from promoting goods. It should seem more subjective and could not be too garish.The First-person PronounAnother noticeable fact in the presidential address is the use of the first-person pronouns, which is determined by the personal tenor of the inaugural address.The most frequently used pronouns are the first-person pronouns:I, we and their derivational forms: me, us, and our etc. In most of situation, Kennedy used lots of first-person pronouns to substitute the second-person pronoun you.(1) We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution.(2) Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of thisAdministration, nor even perhaps in our life time on this planet. But let us begin.Because the speaker usually mentions himself and his opinions, it is very natural for him to use I or me frequently. We or us in English are the form referring to both the speaker plus the audience. In the inaugural address, the speaker frequently uses we, us, and our instead for you or yours. This creates some special effects.First, the inclusive pronouns unite the speaker and the audience. They are helpful to build a sense of closeness between the speaker and the audience. The American president appears to be one member among ordinary American citizens. Thus the speech becomes more intimate, and more acceptable.Second, the first person plural can encourage a sense of group unity, a feeling of cohesiveness. “This practice minimizes differences within our group, and emphasizes between group members and those on the outside”. (Lucas, Stephen E, 2004:98) For example in Kennedy’s address, he said,“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friends, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” The first person plurals: we, us in this sentence distinguish American people from the other nations, encourage a sense of group unity, awaken a sense of national pride and responsibility, thus make the speech very inciting.In addition, “the first-person plural in declarative structure can also perform an imperative function”. (Wang Zuoliang,1987:267) This indirect imperative form is implicit and much easier to accept. For example, “We dare not forget today that we are the heirs ofthat first revolution.” If we rewrite the above sentences with imperative sentences, they may sound more like orders than requests, and then widen the gap between the speaker and the audience. Thus the inciting effect cannot be achieved.3.2The Stylistic Features on the Syntactical LevelTraditionally, a sentence is seen as a sequence of words. How words are combined to form sentence to achieve the stylistic effects in APIA of Kennedy will be discussed in this part. The discussion will include the sentence structure, the postmodification in noun phrase, tense in verb phrase, and imperative sentences.3.2.1Sentence StructureThe average sentence length of different variety is different. According to Wang Zuoliang’s analysis, “the average sentence length of daily conversation is less than 12 words per sentence”. (Wang Zuoliang, 1987:247)The sentence length of legal document is much longer. Most sentences in legal document contain more than 40 words. Generally speaking, the longer the sentence length is, the more formal the variety is. “The average sentence length of all varieties is 17.8 words per sentence”. (Wang Zuoliang, 1987:245) Short sentence is the characteristic of spoken language.From the sentence length in terms of John F. Kennedy in his inaugural speech of 1342 words, with a total sentence of number 52, the average sentence length of 25.8 words. Of these, the number of sentences containing 1-9 words is 7, accounting for 13.5 percent of the total number; with 10-19 words of the sentence has 13, accounting for 25%; with 20-29 words of the sentence has 17, accounting for the total number of 32.7%; with 30-39 words of the sentence there are five, accounting for 9.6%; containing more than 40 words sentence 10. These figures indicate that the average sentence length of Kennedy’s address is longer than that of daily conversation, but shorter than news report, much shorte r than legal document. And it is near the average sentence length of all varieties.Judging from the types of sentences, simple sentence has 20, accounting for 38.5 percent sentence of the total number; compound sentence has four, accounting for 7.7%; complex sentences are 28, even up to 53.8%. The above data show that Kennedy's speech is mainly based on the complex sentences, followed by a simple sentence, compound sentence the least.From the above statistics about the length and type of the sentences, we can conclude that the sentence structure of American presidential address is characteristic of formal written language while exhibiting features of spoken language.This is determined by its tenor of speech. American president delivers the inaugural address to the people at home or abroad when he takes office. He has good education background, and the situation of inauguration is quite formal. In the address the orator are expected to make his government policy known to the public and to persuade the public to accept and support his policy. These personal tenor and functional tenor determine that inaugural address should not be as casual as daily conversation, and it is unnecessary to be as serious as news report and legal document.It is also influenced by the mode of the speech. The address is well prepared in advance in the form of written language, so it is possible to make long and well-structured complicated sentences, which manifest the characteristics of written language. On the other hand, the address is to be spoken. Then, too long and complicated sentences, such as the sentences with more than 40 words, may make trouble for the orator to speaker and for the audience to understand. So most sentences in the address are in middle-length with 10-30 words per sentence.Short sentences are usually emphatic, whereas long sentences are capable of expressing complex ideas with precision, because it may contain more modifiers. Involving such amount of short sentences, long sentences in the address is not only helpful to stress the ideas that should be stressed, but also helpful to achieve a variety of sentence pattern, length and rhythm, thus avoid monotony.3.2.2Postmodification in Noun PhraseThe majority of noun phrases consist of a head noun plus one or two optional elements. These optional elements refer to premodifier and postmodifier. Premodifier refers to the determiners, numbers, pronouns, and adjectives, or nouns with an adjectival function, which appear to the left of the head noun. Postmodifier refers to the phrases or clauses that appear to the right of the head noun. Most of the premodifiers are simple, thus save space. Some types of text, such as adverts, newspaper headlines, frequently use premodifications. The postmodification keeps the head noun in the front of part of the noun phrase, thus making it prominent. In addition, the postmodification supplies more space for accurate expression. The long and complicated postmodification, especially the one with relative clause, appears more frequently in formal texts.In Kennedy's speech, there are 282 nouns; about 32.6% nouns are postmodified. These postmodifiers are infinitive phrases, prepositional phrase, participle phrase, etc. The postmodification makes the expression more serious and emphatic. In addition, the postmodification provides more space for more information, and also make the inaugural address more formal. All these are determined by the tenor of discourse.3.2.3TenseThe use of tense is related to the field of discourse. In American preside ntial inaugural address the president make his government policy known to the public. They need to review the past, summarize the present, and then forecast the future.The tense in the APIA of Kennedy mainly concerns simple present, perfect present, and future tense. 80.8% of sentences in the address are in simple present. 7.7% of sentences are in present perfect. 11.5% of sentences are in future simple. But the simple past tense is even not used.This model of tenses in the American presidential address is quite unique. Because the normal tense used in other literary works, especially in fictional narrative is the simple past tense. Even in other public speaking.In the address, the address makes his government policy known to the public. The policyis planned to be adopted in future. So the future simple is frequently used. And the policy is based on the present situation, explain the reason for the reform, and thus persuade the public to support the policy. The simple present tense is frequently used. Although they need to mention something in the past, the emphasis is its influence to the present situation. So instead of using the simple past, the present perfect is used, which emphasizes the influence of the past events to the present situation.A noticeable phenomenon is that in the address of Kennedy, the simple past tense is not used at all, which is determined by the special social context in his time, and his special personal tenor.When John Kennedy took office in 1961, he was only 44 years old. As the youngest president of America, Kennedy had much confidence in his own governing policy, and was hopeful of the future. It was natural for him to neglect the past and stress the present state and the future plan. So in his address, the simple past tense was not used either.3.3The Stylistic Features on the Textual LevelThe text refers to a unified sentence groups composed by a series of sentences, spoken or written. The stylistic analysis on the textual level is actually to analyze the stylistic features of the textual cohesion, which is also called as the semantic consistency. Moreover, the semantic consistency is dependent upon the socio-cultural context. As a result, the semantic structure and socio-cultural context will be discussed in the following.3.3.1 The Semantic Structure“The text is a sense unit, not a grammar unit paralleled with sentence and clause. Language has mechanism to make any stretch of spoken or written discourse into a coherent and unified text and make a living message different from a random list of sentences. The mechanism is just the semantic structure of the text.”(Zhang Delu, 1998:336) Generally, thetextual function in the context is realized by a certain semantic structure.“A well-organized speech is more easily understood and more positively evaluated than a disorganized message.”(Lucas, Stephen E, 2004:110) Research has shown that a clear organization is positively associated with audience’s understanding and retention; it may influence audience’s perceptions of the speaker’s credibility, and the speech effect is also greatly influenced by organization. The structure of a speech should follow the way people naturally see and arrange in their minds. A well- structured speech has good form, symmetrical and orderly.Inaugural speech is to be delivered to the people both at home and abroad. Every newly elected president attaches much importance to it. And every inaugural speech is well prepared beforehand. Thus not only is the language effective, but the structure is also well organized. Generally speaking, the American presidential inaugural address follows the following pattern:(1)T o greet the audience(2)To declare to take office(3)T o make known the government policy and to persuade the public to accept andsupport his policy(4)T o say the prayersThe third part is the most important part of the whole address. Let’s take Kennedy’s address to have a detailed analysis:(1)T o state the basic policy goals(2)T o address different groups of allied nations or would-be allies(3)T o speak to his enemy(4)T o appeal to his countrymen for support and sacrificeHere, the orator makes the speech clear and proper to show his aims that the new generation of American will do their best to assure the survival and the success of liberty. It follows the process of human thinking and leads the listeners step by step to the desired action.3.3.2 Socio-cultural ContextLanguage is a communicative means of human beings, but any effective communication must be based on a specific social circumstance. Otherwise, the intended function of the text cannot be attained. In other words, text can not fulfill their goals without the necessary context. “Context can mean the history, culture, conventional customs and views on the value of the two sides of communication, so it is also named as socio-cultural context, that is, the so-called background of society and culture”. (Zhang Delu, 1998:340)It has been long recognized that language is an essential and important part of a given culture and the impact of culture upon a given language is something intrinsic and indispensable. Study of languages in socio-cultural context is exactly what Halliday and many other modern linguists advocate. Public speaking, which bears much political color and influences the public ideology, inevitably expresses and embodies cultural and social reality.Religion is a very important part of the westerner’s life. Most of the westerners believe in Christianity. Their thoughts and actions are greatly influenced by the doctrines of Bible. Many public speakers make best use of this to make their speeches more inciting. The American presidential addresses are inevitably characteristic of much religious color.First, at the beginning of the inaugural, the newly elected president must put his hand on the Bible and swear the oath. Kennedy say, “For I have swore before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarte rs ago.”Second, when he finishes his address, the president usually says prayers: “Let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”Third, the speaker tends to quote directly some words from the Bible to illustrate or support his political views. We can find a quotation from the Old Testament: “Let both side unit to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah—to undo the heavy burdens…and to let the oppressed go free.”Then, Kennedy uses Biblical language in some place to add solemnity to some of his weightier sayings. For example: “Let the word go forth from this time and place……”Religion is a product of its social development. The speaker makes use of this and preaches his own idea in the name of God. The religious color in the inaugural address is very helpful to make the address more inciting.3.4Rhetorical Features“The history of stylistics can be traced back to the rhetoric in the ancient Greek, whe n rhetoric refers to the skill of public speaking”. (Hu Zhuanglin,2000:11-24). Rhetorical devices are closely related to the skill of public speaking. And according to Halliday, many rhetorical devices, such as alliteration, parallelism, simile, and metaphor, may have some stylistic effects. So the analysis of the rhetorical features in American presidential inaugural address is not only necessary but also important.The object of a political speech is to explain, convince and persuade the audience that what the speaker is saying and planning to do best represent their interests so they should support him. In inaugural address, the president of the USA has to appeal not only to the American people but also to the different groups of nations in the international community. The address should be moving, forceful, and effective. To do this successfully, the speaker must employ suitable rhetorical devices, such as parallelism, metaphor, and alliteration. Kennedy’s inaugural address is generally regarded as one of the best delivered by an American president. Here we’ll take his address to have a detailed analysis of the rhetorical devices.3.4.1 Syntactical Rhetorical Device“Parallelism is a syntactic rhetorical device. It refers to a structural arrangement of parts of a sentence, paragraphs, and larger units of discourse by which one element of equal importance with another is similarly developed and phrased”. (Feng Cuihua, 2004:31) In parallel construction it is necessary to balance word for word, phrase with phrase, clause withclause, sentence with sentence, or paragraph with paragraph.(1) …not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, butbecause it is right.(2) Let the world go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that thetorch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century,tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancientheritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of these human rightsto which his nation has always been committed, and to which we are committedtoday at home and around the world.V ery often, repetition is used with parallelism to emphasize the equal importance and weight of the parallel parts. The same sentence appears repeatedly in order to display intense emotion and impression; it is one of the common rhetoric tactics ---- Repetition. Most of the above parallelisms are repetitions too. As for repetition of important words we have: “all force”and “belief”, “committed”, “good”and “free”. Repetition has been proven to increase recall and comprehension, particularly if the message is complex.Another rhetorical device used with parallelism is climax. Climax refers to the arrangement of phrases or sentences in ascending order of importance. The elements in the parallel constructions are usually arranged in climactic order in order to add force. For example, in Kennedy’s inaugural address, “Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our life time on this planet.”“Antithesis is the deliberate arrangement of contrasting words or ideas in balanced structural forms to achieve force and emphasis”. (Feng Cuihua, 2004:35) Antithesis is different from parallelism, because it not only needs neat sentence structure but also requests the meanings to be opposite or relative.(1) United , there is little we cannot do…D ivide, there is little we can do…(2) If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who arerich.Parallelism, repetition, antithesis, and climax all involve regular, consistent expressions. Owing to its balanced structure, neat rhyme, parallelism plays an important role in making the inaugural address emphatic, forceful, thus making it a successful appeal to the emotion.。

InauguralAddress肯尼迪就职演说修辞总结

InauguralAddress肯尼迪就职演说修辞总结

InauguralAddress肯尼迪就职演说修辞总结synecdoche / si'nekd?ki /:substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa Inaugural Address肯尼迪就职演说修辞总结美国总统肯尼迪的就职演说辞沿袭古希腊,罗马的修辞及文风精心选用语言句式,注意音韵效果,字字句句经过刻意雕琢。

一、Alliteration是一种常见的反复类音韵修辞格,恰当使用Alliteration能赋予语言以音韵美和节奏美,起到演染气氛烘托感情加强语言表现力等效果, 如:Let the word go forth.....that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans."(para3)In order to assure the survival and the success of liberty …Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.(para17)…both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom(para13)二、UnderstatementUnderstatement的修辞功能在肯尼迪这篇演说辞中"首先体现在它是一种政界辞令"整篇文章"没有直截了当地对国际形势进行分析" 更没有一处提到一个国家的名字或具体事例"一切都隐晦委婉模糊不清"例如三、1.We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed. (我们不敢以怯弱来引诱他们因为只有当我们毫无疑问地拥有足够的军事装备时我们才能真正有把握地确信永远不会使用武力)para12一场规模空前的军备竞赛的动因被说成了We dare not temptthem with weakness. Understatement的运用变主动为被动变张牙舞爪为委曲求全2. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.para6(团结,将使我们在许多合作事业中无往而不胜,分裂,我们将一事无成)三、parallelism(平行结构)parallelism是将结构相同或相似,意义并重语气一致的语言成分、短语、句子乃至语段等并行排列的一种修辞手法,这种辞格可以使语言简洁明了,结构精致对称,声调铿锵有力、叙事生动逼真语意鲜明突出。

  1. 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性,平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
  2. 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
  3. 3、如文档侵犯您的权益,请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间:9:00-18:30)。

[Taking the oath of Office]1.Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower,Vice President Nixon, President Truman, reverend clergy, fellow citizens:2.We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom --symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning -- signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.修辞分析:运用了Antithesis 的修辞手法,前后结构一致,语义相反,容易吸引观众的注意,达到演讲词开篇引人入胜的目的。

这里“a victory of party”和“a celebration of freedom”,“an end”和“a beginning”等等分别构成对照,强调这不是一个政党的胜利,而是自由的胜利,是结束也是开端,是更新也是变革。

3.The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power toabolish①all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe -- the belief that the rights of man come ②not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.修辞分析:该段子划线部分都运用了Repetition的修辞手法。

这里重复的使用主要是为了分清层次,加强演讲词的节奏感和音律美,使读起来朗朗上口。

4.We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let theword go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, -- ①born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, ②proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights ③to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.修辞分析:该段落划线部分运用了Parallelism 的修辞手法。

总共包括三组排比句,如段中所示,第一组是过去分词引起的短语,第二组是形容词引起的短语,第三组是定语从句。

排比句结构平衡,音韵和谐,语义紧凑,高潮迭起,极富感召力与鼓动性。

排比的大量使用既能起到突出演讲主题的作用,又能令句子流畅,读起来朗朗上口,极富音乐般的节奏和感染力。

5.Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay anyprice, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.修辞分析:这句话运用了Repetition和Alliteration双重的修辞手法。

首先是头韵法,如段中阴影部分,“p ay price”“b ear burden”“s urvival s uccess”“f riend f oe”等这些头韵法的合理使用不仅使演说朗朗上口,富于乐感,从而抓住听众的注意力,而且通过在词首重复使用相同的辅音,使得音韵悠扬,节奏明快,增强了表现力,给人以深刻的印象,为演说增添了光彩。

其二段中“any”的重复使用使演讲者观点紧凑,重点突出,有能很有效的调动听众的情感,从而达到演讲的目的。

6.This much we pledge -- and more.7.To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledgethe loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do -- for we dare not meeta powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.修辞分析:段中划线部分运用了Antithesis的修辞手法。

这里主要是“united”和“divided”的对照,一方面使得两句话对称整齐,音律和谐,读起来脍炙人口。

另一方面强调了语义的对立,突出了“如果团结一致,我们就能在许多合作事业中无往而不胜,如果分歧对立,我们便会一事无成”这个主要观点。

8.To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, ①we pledgeour word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom -- and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by ②riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.修辞分析:该段划线部分①运用了Repetition的修辞手法,“shall”的重复使用使句式结构紧凑,重点突出,同时调动听众的情感,引起共鸣,很好得表达了美国政府的决心和信念。

②运用了Metaphor的修辞手法。

用比喻来阐述道理,使听众于生动的形象中得到启发,受到感染,折服于演说家。

这一句既表明演说家的态度,同时也是对本段上文的形象化总结,这远比讲美国今后不会对加入自由国家行列的其他国家进行奴役之类的承诺有说服力得多。

9.To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to breakthe ①bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required -- not because the Communists may be doing it, ②not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. ③Ifa free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the fewwho are rich.修辞分析:该段落划线部分中①运用了Metaphor的修辞手法。

该短语将“mass misery”对世界各地人民的折磨隐喻为“bonds”,即枷锁,形象生动地将抽象的事物变得简单易懂,使听众易于接受和理解,并使能够引起听众的共鸣,达到演讲的效果。

②运用了Repetition的修辞手法。

该句中“because”的重复使用一方面产生了音律美,使句式整齐匀称,另一方面突出了演讲者所要表达的观点,调动了听众的情绪。

③运用了Antithesis的修辞手法。

该句中句式非常对称整齐,读起来朗朗上口,简洁明了,音律和谐。

同时通过语义上的对立突出强调了“如果不能帮助处在贫困中的人们,美国也就不能拯救少数的富人”这一观点。

10.T o our ①sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge: toconvert our good words into good deeds, in a new alliance for progress, to assist free men and free governments in casting off ②the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. ③Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.修辞分析:该段落划线部分中①和②运用了Metaphor的修辞手法。

相关文档
最新文档