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Article published In: Journal of Language and Politics
Vol. 14:5 (2015) ► pp.645–664

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Imag(in)ing the Nation

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Singapore’s National Day Rally Speech

 | National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore |
 | Hebei University of Economics and Business, China |
Published online: 28 January 2016
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https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.14.5.02teo
This article focuses on the discursive construction of national identity through a National Day Rally speech delivered by Singapore’s Prime Minister in 2010. Inspired by the theoretical framework of Critical Discourse Analysis and using methods developed by Halliday and van Leeuwen, it offers a close analysis of the speech, which uncovers patterns related to the type, extent and effects of various agentive roles attributed to the country, government and people of Singapore. Macro-discursive strategies like the use of specific references and real-life anecdotes calculated to reify the success of the Singapore ‘brand’ and inspire Singaporeans are also discussed. Through this multi-layered analysis, the article demonstrates how discourse transforms an imagining of Singapore’s nationhood into a concrete image of what Singapore is and what being a Singaporean is all about.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
  • 3.The National Day Rally Speech
  • 4.Analytical Framework
  • 5.Analysis And Discussion
    • 5.1Micro-linguistic Analysis
    • 5.2Macro-discursive Analysis
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
References (33)
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