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Discursive Constructions of the Environment in American Presidential Speeches 1960–2013: A Diachronic Corpus-Assisted Study

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Corpora and Discourse Studies

Part of the book series: Palgrave Advances in Language and Linguistics ((PADLL))

Abstract

This chapter aims to take a diachronic corpus-assisted discourse analysis approach of how the ‘environment’ has been construed in American presidential discourse, a highly specialised sub-domain of political discourse. The meaning of ‘environment’ has, in fact, been expanding over time, and a wider variety of issues have been articulated both at a domestic and a global level. However, while a growing number of studies, from both a political scientists’ perspective (Soden, 1999; Vig, 2006; Daynes and Sussman, 2010), and a rhetorical perspective (Peterson, 2004; Bonfille, 2008) have recently started addressing the link between environmental issues and the American presidency, a thorough diachronic examination of the significance of the ‘environment’ within this specialised institutional domain of analysis is lacking, nor have claims been based on (extensive) corpus research. This study thus aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion by focusing on formal speeches delivered by the latest ten American presidents, from President Kennedy (1960) to President Obama (2013), thus covering over 50 years of presidential discourse. The broader theoretical and methodological interest of this chapter lies in the complex interaction between quantitative and qualitative dimensions of analysis of any socio-political issues within specialised domains, as well as in the type of challenges facing the analyst during the process.

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Authors
  1. Cinzia Bevitori
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lancaster University, UK

    Paul Baker  & Tony McEnery  & 

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© 2015 Cinzia Bevitori

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Bevitori, C. (2015). Discursive Constructions of the Environment in American Presidential Speeches 1960–2013: A Diachronic Corpus-Assisted Study. In: Baker, P., McEnery, T. (eds) Corpora and Discourse Studies. Palgrave Advances in Language and Linguistics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137431738_6

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