A critical discourse analysis of three speeches of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Abstract

This study is a critical discourse analysis of three selected speeches of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The analysis is situated in Fairclough’s triadic model for Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Thompson’s modes of ideology. A CDA of the speeches revealed how the speeches reflect prevailing societal issues such as respect for systems and structures of authority, responsibility, Pan- Africanism, total independence, patriotism, the Ghanaian identity and rules and expectations of government. Power relations were exhibited in the speeches through the use of modal auxiliary verbs such as must, will, should and shall. The findings confirm language as an embodiment of ideological dimensions and power relations. The study also reveals Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as reinforcing the ideologies of the New Patriotic Party through the three speeches from various perspectives. The study recommends a critical use of language as a form of power to assert a person’s ideologies through public discourse.