PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF SPEECH ACTS IN SELECTED OFFICIAL SPEECHES OF DONALD TRUMP AND BARACK OBAMA

Abstract

This paper examines the pragmatic functions of speech acts in the
inaugural addresses of Donald Trump (2017) and Barack Obama
(2009) through the lens of J.L. Austin's (1962) Speech Acts Speech
Act Theory, with special reference to Searle's taxonomy of
illocutionary acts. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines
qualitative descriptive analysis and quantitative measurement, the
research analyses twenty-four carefully selected excerpts by identifying,
categorising, and comparing the distribution and functions of
assertives, commissives, directives, and expressives in both speeches.
Results reveal that while assertives dominated both addresses equally
(41.6%), significant differences emerged in the use of other speech
acts: Obama employed more commissives (33.3% vs. Trump's 16.6%)
and expressives (16.6% vs. Trump's 8.3%), while Trump used
substantially more directives (33.3% vs. Obama's 8.3%).
Furthermore, each president deployed these speech acts with
markedly different rhetorical purposes—Trump's language
constructed a narrative of national crisis requiring authoritative
intervention, while Obama's established one of national continuity
requiring collective effort. These findings demonstrate how the
strategic deployment of speech acts reflects and reinforces each
president's political ideology, leadership style, and approach to
governance. The study contributes to political discourse analysis by
illustrating how inaugural addresses function as sophisticated
linguistic performances through which presidents establish authority,
define national identity, and set expectations for their leadership.