The Power of Ukraine'S President: Personal Pronouns On Zelensky'S Speech
The Power of Ukraine'S President: Personal Pronouns On Zelensky'S Speech
The Power of Ukraine'S President: Personal Pronouns On Zelensky'S Speech
ABSTRACT
This study analyzes how Zelensky used first-person personal pronouns
in his political speeches. This study discussed about the occurrences of
first personal pronouns in political speeches by using qualitative
methodologies, that is document study to identify their forms and
discourse function. The results showed that The first personal pronouns
are identified in discovered of Zelensky’s speeches. The first personal
pronouns used in Zelensky addresses were pronoun “I”, “You”, and “We”.
Zelensky used the singular personal pronoun ‘‘I’’ to express his heartfelt
gratitude and admiration, as well as his professional and personal
E-ISSN: 2621-9158 experiences, arguments, perspectives, aspirations, and commitment. The
P-ISSN:2356-0401 usage of inclusive “You” and variants indicate Zelensky 's willingness to
share responsibility, foster unity, equality, and public declarations about
*Correspondence: their current situation and any potential future challenges. Using
[email protected] exclusive “We” which demonstrated by Zelensky also was to show his
political intentions, commitment, political experiences during the
Submitted: 14 November 2022 election, and significant concern for reconciliation.
Approved: 27 December 2022
Published: 29 December 2022
Keywords: Personal; Pronouns; President; Speech
Citation: ABSTRAK
Luthfiyati, D., & Hamidah, F., N., Studi ini menganalisis bagaimana Zelensky menggunakan kata ganti
(2022). The Power of Ukraine’s
President: Personal Pronouns on
orang pertama dalam pidato politiknya. Penelitian ini membahas tentang
Zelensky’s Speech. Celtic: A Journal kemunculan kata ganti orang pertama dalam pidato politik dengan
of Culture, English Language menggunakan metodologi kualitatif untuk mengidentifikasi bentuk dan
Teaching, Literature and Linguistics, fungsi wacananya. Kata ganti pribadi pertama diidentifikasi dalam
9(2),177-189. Doi:
10.22219/celtic.v9i2.23186.
pidato Zelensky yang ditemukan. Kata ganti orang pertama yang
digunakan dalam alamat Zelensky adalah kata ganti "Aku", "Kamu", dan
"Kami". Zelensky menggunakan kata ganti pribadi tunggal '' Saya '' untuk
mengungkapkan rasa terima kasih dan kekagumannya yang tulus, serta
pengalaman, argumen, perspektif, aspirasi, dan komitmen profesional
dan pribadinya. Penggunaan inklusif “Anda” dan varian menunjukkan
kesediaan Zelensky untuk berbagi tanggung jawab, memupuk persatuan,
kesetaraan, dan deklarasi publik tentang situasi mereka saat ini dan
potensi tantangan di masa depan. Menggunakan “Kami” eksklusif yang
didemonstrasikan oleh Zelensky juga untuk menunjukkan niat
politiknya, komitmennya, pengalaman politiknya selama pemilu, dan
kepedulian yang signifikan terhadap rekonsiliasi.
INTRODUCTION
Language, such as that employed in speech, can be utilized to influence, or build
relationships. According to Pradiptha et al., (2020), Speech is a manifestation of
power, which suggests that when someone delivers a speech, he or she has the
potential to influence how other people feel about a particular subject. To put it
another way, the speakers can persuade the audience that they share the same
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Dian Luthfiyati, Fitria Nur Hamidah
The Power of Ukraine’s President:
Personal Pronouns on Zelensky’s Speech
thoughts. As a result, they may gain sympathy. A speech has the power to change
people's minds about a topic. As a result, the speaker must include personal
motives in his or her discourse. Additionally, the structural analysis of the
meanings done behind the speech is possible. Talking is a common activity that
involves multiple participants, each of whom takes turns at various points (Sari,
2020).
Under any circumstances, one of the persons involved in an interaction
process seems to have a propensity to assert their dominance by virtue of their
social standing, level of education, worldly wisdom, experience, age, etc. Language
will be used in a biased manner by individuals in positions of power, such as those
with a prestigious job, a high social status, or a significant political role. In the
course of the engagement process, people with greater status tend to dominate
and become engaged. People of lower status, on the other hand, come across as
passive listeners (Dahnilsyah, 2017).
We must first organize the messages we wish to transmit through voice in
order to communicate effectively (Cordeiro, 2018). Message organization involves
both sending and receiving messages, and this relationship may be more nuanced
than it first looks. If we ask other to receive and to give when we invite other. To
suit their demands, speech functions are used as a means of exchanging
experiences. Speech functions are communication tactics to transmit someone's
idea and to assist listeners in understanding and comprehending the idea based on
the situation (Dunn et al., 2022); (Mensah et al., 2022).
Instead of being a genre in and of itself, political discourse is a class of
genres distinguished by a social domain, particularly politics. Parliamentary
debates, political party programs, and speeches by political leaders are a few
genres that belong in the political sphere. In spoken political discourse, a speech is
a public speaking act that is typically carried out in a formal setting to
communicate an opinion (Wahyuningsih, 2018).
Political discourse analysis is a field of study that looks at the written, oral,
and nonverbal communication that politicians use to advance their agendas in a
political setting. The objectives are to examine the use of language and rhetorical
devices, as well as linguistic decisions made to accomplish a particular political
outcome (Bataineh, 2019). Besides, the purposes are to persuade the audience or
the listener to have agreement with them or to encourage a change in perception
or attitude toward a special issue (Orji, 2016).
In this technology era, a politician's speech can easily be broadcast around
the world. The result showed their audience were not only those in the hall, but
also those behind the screen. So when the politician wanted to gain political
support, a political speech must be understandable and it could appeal to the
audience (Fadzilah & Noor, 2021). Fadzilah & Noor (2021) goes even farther,
claiming that personal pronouns, with their deictic function, are one of the
weapons in politicians' arsenals for achieving their objectives. The skill of
persuasion has been important in politics since the dawn of civilization. In this
context, personal pronouns depict how the person who speaks and writes to
communicate his or her opinion and perception to other participants in the
conversation.
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Personal Pronouns on Zelensky’s Speech
communicate the experience. Some YouTube videos made use of the speech and
realization in frame of mind for a variety of purposes, including understanding the
text, particularly in speech. It was critical to understand the components of the
speech function process so the reader did not have a different viewpoint on the
meaning (Herman et al., 2022).
Personal, reflexive, possessive, indefinite, demonstrative, reciprocal,
relative, and interrogative pronouns are among the eight categories of pronouns
(Kaewrungruang & Yaoharee, 2018). When referring to individuals or objects that
the speaker is speaking to or about, personal pronouns are employed. Subjective
pronouns and objective pronouns are the two categories of personal pronouns. I,
we, you, he, she, it, and they are the subjective pronouns that are used to refer to
the subject of a clause. The subject complement, prepositional complement, or
object of a clause can all be expressed by object pronouns. Me, us, you, him, she, it,
and them make up the list of objective personal pronouns.
Professional speechwriters typically draft the speeches in advance for the
speakers. Political speeches are rarely broadcast in their entirety. Instead, only
selected portions of the speeches—often referred to as soundbites—are televised
(Håkansson, 2012). We may not think about or even notice the usage of personal
pronouns when hearing or reading speeches. Political speeches frequently utilize
personal pronouns because they can indicate with whom the speaker is most
identified.
A variety of studies from different perspectives have been done on
presidential speeches. The language of the presidential speech has recently come
under scrutiny. The president may be viewed as the country's most competent
representation since his or her remarks serve to encapsulate the spirit and ethos of
the country. Language is used to prepare, accompany, influence, and play the
speech. The speech's language signals intentions, goals, and purposes in addition
to conveying the information itself. Language organizes, supports, shapes, and
plays the speech (Ekawati, 2016). The speech's language signals intentions, goals,
and purposes in addition to conveying the information itself.
The employment of personal pronouns by President Zelensky in political
discourse is the subject of this essay. It is clear that the president is attempting to
set his action apart from others by using a personal pronoun in specific intended
allusions. In an effort to persuade the audience, the president also makes an
exceptional effort to assert his dominance over the situation. Given their position
of influence, most politicians find that their ability to manipulate language is
crucial to garnering attention and popular support. Politicians believe that
acquiring and empowering language units that can adapt to a variety of contexts
and communication situations is necessary to attaining their goals.
Politicians will find it simpler to win the public's sympathy and support if
they pay attention to and develop sensitivity to their requirements. They will also
be better able to cover up their practices of hegemony and dominance. Utilizing
personal pronouns is one of the tactics used by politicians to win over the public
and keep their government in power. So, this study examines the occurrences of
first personal pronouns in political speeches.
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METHOD
Research Design
To analyze the challenges posed in this study, descriptive qualitative was used for
the goals and goal of this investigation. Because the data in this study consisted of a
voice script, the content analyzing approach was applied. The research looks at in
Zelensky's speech. The complexity of meanings in social contexts is addressed in
this descriptive qualitative essay. In order to gain understanding of a specific
phenomenon of interest, qualitative research focuses on the collection, analysis,
and interpretation of data (Gay et al., 2012). This study used Fairclough 's (1995)
Model of Critical Discourse Analysis as its theoretical foundation (CDA).
The use of quantification for the number of data was necessary to depict the
distribution of first personal pronouns in the speeches. After the data has been
quantified, the most prevalent first personal pronouns must be identified to
develop a tendentious image provided by in Zelensky's through the usage of
personal pronouns.
The next phase which was related to the second purpose of this study, it
was to interpret the reasonable explanation of the usage of personal pronouns
with contextual meaning during the speeches delivered. It considered that
argumentative interpretation when determining which first personal pronouns are
most employed. When examining inclusive and exclusive, we must analyze which
Zelensky's addressed in his speech. The speaker's use of personal pronouns
created a different purpose and function for the social relationship between the
speaker and the hearer.
The researchers obtained the speech's transcript from Official website of the
President of Ukraine, which was published on June 15, 2022. “Address by the
President of Ukraine to both houses of the Parliament of the Czech Republic” is the
title of the transcript.
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Personal Pronouns on Zelensky’s Speech
FINDINGS
Personal Pronouns
Only personal pronouns that are related to exclusivity (I, me, you, they,
them) and the inclusiveness (we, us) components of the speeches were
investigated because the goal of this study is to explain how leaders manage their
connections with the audience. He, him, she, her, and it are pronouns that relate to
a unique and distinct third person and are used in everyday personal discussions;
they have no bearing on the inclusivity and exclusivity features of a political
discourse.
The findings are provided in the tables below after collecting the personal
pronouns in Zelensky's speech. The research finding of personal pronouns and
their inflections in Zelensky's speech is summarized in Table 1.
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(1) “I would like to thank you for those warm words, strong words of support for
our people, me personally, our state, which were heard here today, and for the
warmth with which you shelter our forcibly displaced persons.”
(2) “I am very grateful to your state, to your people for the generous help in this
struggle. The Czech Republic helped us both with weapons - very substantively and
immediately after it became necessary - and politically. I thank the leadership of
the state for that. You can be sure that you have supported yourself and your own
freedom, your own life with that.”
Example (1) demonstrated how Zelensky used his authority to address
Ukraine-related issues. In his speech, he expressed his gratitude for the warm
words of support for his people, himself, and his stated that were heard here that
day, as well as the warmth with which the audience shelters their forcibly
displaced people. They value it because it was historically significant. He expressed
his gratitude for this on behalf of all Ukrainians. As a result, Zelensky introduced
himself with "I" rather than "we".
Example (2) further demonstrated Zelensky’s ability to use his influence as
President of Ukraine to promote other countries. He was grateful to the Czech
Republic and its people for their kind assistance in this endeavor. The Czech
Republic aided them both militarily and politically and did so quickly and
effectively after the need arose. He expressed his gratitude to the state's leadership
for this. He also expressed his support for their people, saying, "You can be
confident that you have supported yourself and your own freedom, your own
existence with that." To underline his good relations with other countries, Zelensky
used I instead of we in this situation.
The Examples below are the speech that delivered by him to show his
thankfulness:
(3) “I would like to thank you for this opportunity to address both houses of the
Parliament of the Czech Republic and absolutely all Czechs in this format today.”
(4) “I would like to thank you for those warm words, strong words of support for
our people, me personally, our state, which were heard here today, and for the
warmth with which you shelter our forcibly displaced persons.”
He used the personal pronoun "I" to demonstrate his sincere admiration in
Example (4). The personal pronoun "I" was used in this example to convey that
Zelensky must thank you for the opportunity to address both houses of the Czech
Republic's Parliament as well as all Czechs. In example (5), he expressed his
gratitude by using the personal pronoun "I." In this example, the personal pronoun
"I" was used to emphasize that Zelensky must thank you for Czech’s warm words
of support for his people, him personally, and their state, which were heard here
that day, and for the warmth with which Czech presidency shelter their forcibly
displaced persons.
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The Power of Ukraine’s President:
Personal Pronouns on Zelensky’s Speech
(6) I will begin with words that each of you knows for sure and that all Europeans
who respect history and freedom on our continent know for sure.
(7) We are with you, be with us!
(8) You can be sure that you have supported yourself and your own freedom, your
own life with that.
(9) I urge you to continue together with us, without stopping for a moment, to
convince all those who have not yet managed to choose a clear side in this
confrontation, which has been going on for 112 days already, of this simple truth.
Example (5) showed that he used personal pronoun “you” to refer to people that
he is talking to. In the sentence before it, he mentioned Parliament of the Czech
Republic or this opportunity to address both houses of the Parliament of the Czech
Republic and absolutely all Czechs in this format today. Furthermore, the personal
pronoun “your” as the of you in example (6) also referred to the audiences and all
Europeans. Example (7) showed that he used personal pronoun “you” to refer to a
specific group. In the example (k), he used personal pronoun “you” to refer to
Parliament of the Czech Republic and Czechs, not to his audiences or to the people
in the general. Example (8) also shows that he used the personal pronoun “your” to
refer to people in a specific group. In this context, he was talking about the hugely
influential when they were broadcast on Czech radio in 1968, supporting the
resistance. They are also incredibly essential now, as we remember those who
battled for your people's freedom. Example (9) also showed that he used personal
pronoun yourself to refer to people in a specific group.
DISCUSSION
The linguistics discipline of critical discourse analysis places a strong
emphasis on power relations and ideology in conversation (Merrita, 2021). Critical
discourse analysis (CDA) is a method that examines linguistic elements in order to
expose power in the text.
Personal pronouns “I”, “You”, and “We”, with their varied placements are
employed by Zelensky in his speech. In his speech, he used the pronoun “I” to
represent himself in a positive manner and to emphasize his personal attributes. In
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Personal Pronouns on Zelensky’s Speech
second person you or the direct audience into another side, the inclusive ‘we’
refers to the speaker and the second person you. The general public or American
citizens who have the ability to vote for the next president are the direct audiences
for the presidential debate. The data shows that the inclusive we is employed more
frequently than the exclusive we since both candidates wanted to win the public's
support. In such a context, personal pronouns show how the speaker or writer
communicates his or her perception to other participants in the
discourse(Romadlani, 2021).
Overall, it can be inferred from the use of personal pronouns in the
aforementioned speech transcripts that Zelensky employed techniques for
selecting a variety of personal pronouns to use in accordance with the information
being conveyed (Beard, 2000). People develop, sustain, and steer their interactions
to their receptive audience when they are communicating (Farahani & Kazemian,
2021).
According to Pradiptha et al., (2020), political discourse is a class of genres
characterized by a social domain, notably politics, rather than a genre in and of
itself. Among the genres that belong in the political arena are parliamentary
debates, political party programs, and speeches made by political leaders. People
communicate in a variety of ways depending on their beliefs, ethnicity, and
gestures, all of which affect how they use and comprehend language. This failure to
listen to and understand what the other person is saying may be a result of this
(Yulistiana, 2020).
Politics and other spoken discourse are typically provided by an effective
speaker. A multitude of advantages, including voice quality effects, face
expressions, and postural or gestural system, define effective speakers. Compared
to written speech, spoken conversation places higher demands on the speaker
(Hassan, 2016). In addition to being spontaneous, speakers should pay attention to
what they recently said and prepare their subsequent statements. Additionally,
speakers must pay attention to their interlocutors, adjust their discourse
appropriately, and keep an eye on the reactions of their listeners.
The pronouns used We also depart from Savoy (2018) in the findings in this
investigation. In the earlier research, the pronoun "we" is utilized to denote both a
sense of oneness and otherness. In this study, the pronoun "we" is employed to
generate a sense of community and shared accountability. Political speech analysis
has been acknowledged to have made a significant contribution to our
understanding of social and political realities (Setiarini et al., 2019).
CONCLUSION
In presidential address, personal pronouns served a variety of purposes. It had to
do with the speakers' agreement, point of view, intents, and goals. “I” denote a
personal level, allowing the speaker to demonstrate authority, personal
responsibility, dedication, and engagement. Pronoun “I” and its variants were used
to indicate personal evaluation and speaker's opinion based on the context, as well
as to mark as subject, possessive adjective, or object in phrases.
Like other usage of "you," "you" in a speech refers to the person to whom
the speaker was speaking, both when referring to a specific nation and when
referring to all nations. The speaker might utilize “you” to address certain
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members of the crowd or the entire audience. The pronoun “you” was frequently
employed to mention people other than the speaker. For example, consider
American citizens in general and campaign audiences. The politician positioned
himself/herself as being on the same side as the people that the pronoun you refer
to by utilizing the word you.
Meanwhile, the words "we" have diverse meanings and purposes depending
on whether they are inclusive or exclusive. The inclusive "we" referred to the
speaker and the entire audience to whom he was speaking, whereas the exclusive
"we" referred to the speaker and his group, which did not include the listener in
this case. When the president wanted to make a point his good personality in
leading the nation or underline his personal dedication, service to the country and
society, and supremacy, among other things, the personal pronoun "we" was
frequently used. Zelensky used “we” if he wanted to share accountability, as well as
to engage the public and generate a sense of collectivity and shared responsibility.
It might be interesting to compare and analyze the pronouns used in
politics by politicians from different countries in future studies to see if there is a
difference because there has been a lot of research on pronominal choices made by
politicians working in the same country. There should be more research on how
much of the speeches that prominent politicians give are written for them.
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Personal Pronouns on Zelensky’s Speech
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