Inaugural speech

Language is distinctively a human phenomenon. In fact, Akinkurolere

argues that language as the best gift to man is as old as man himself. More so, the
society at large depends so much on language for its continual existence; this is to
say that survival of an individual will be difficult without language. Once an
individual acquires a language, it becomes the greatest tool in his hand as a social
being. No wonder, Akindele and Adegbite define language as a system of sound or
vocal symbols by which human beings communicate experience. Considering this
definition, it is therefore obvious that language is not an end on its own but a
means to an end.

English serves as the language of wider communication in the socio-political

context of the Nigerian nation. It is obvious that the English language is employed
in political activities such as campaign, election, speeches, meeting, etc. As such,
language has been a powerful tool in the hands of political leaders as they
manipulate the tool to suit their purposes since politics is basically about struggling
to control power. Then, it is only through language that such could be
accomplished, thereby making language a very strong political weapon.

Inaugural address is an epideictic speech since it is delivered in inauguration

ceremony. According to Kennon and Boller [] the inauguration process is the ritual
ceremony during which the executive power is peacefully transferred from
president to president. The inauguration is a cyclical, regularly scheduled event
held every fourth year and is based on the outcome of a democratic election. The
regularity of the presidential inaugurations offers a sense of stability, continuity,
and permanence to a political system that peacefully permits turnover in
officeholders and change in policy agendas.

Inaugural speeches are precisely the first speeches presented by people

occupying leadership positions. Such speeches serve as a major means of winning
peoples hearts after a major selection, election, or appointment is announced or
confirmed. The presentation of inaugural speeches further serves as a diplomatic
means of selling new leadership to the people or subjects. By implication,
inaugural speeches are meant to promote and make leadership acceptable to the
people through the avenue opened up by language, when this fails; or is not done
properly or accordingly to achieve a desirable effects, a leadership crisis cannot be
ruled out.

Bell [] says that the inaugural address is a genre of its own. It reflects and
represents the things that the president finds important and if he expresses his ideas
successfully, his address will go down in history as one that will stand up through
the ages. The inaugural address is a part of a long tradition of inaugural addresses.
For this reason the president cannot decide entirely by himself how he wants to
compose the address or what he wants to talk about. The genre of inaugural
addresses is the most strictly defined when compared to other genres used by
presidents.

Speech is a force or a power that is used to accomplish different ends or

goals in different circumstances, and it is important to understand the purposes or
goals of the communicator and the circumstances under which the communication
is taking place.

The goal of a given speech can be determined through its communicative

function, which is rendered through the kind of speech acts performed [], as speech
acts constitute the verbal actions accomplished with utterances []. With presidential
inaugural addresses, the communicative goals are diverse as the presidents attempt
to perform a plethora of functions with their speeches []. Inaugurals of African
presidents are not exempted as they are imbued with a variety of communicative
intentions [].

Presidential inaugural addresses are speeches delivered by presidents at their

inauguration ceremonies, which formally mark the beginning of their tenure of
office []. From the point of view of Aristotles genres of rhetoric, presidential
inaugural addresses are forms of epideictic (ceremonial) speeches delivered by
presidents on their inauguration days []. Because of the celebratory nature of
inaugurals, presidents attempt to accomplish many tasks with their speeches. These
verbal activities in inaugurals are what Austin termed as speech acts [].

Presidential inaugural addresses are speeches delivered by presidents at their

inauguration ceremonies, which formally mark the beginning of their tenure of
office []. From the point of view of Aristotles genres of rhetoric, presidential
inaugural addresses are forms of epideictic (ceremonial) speeches delivered by
presidents on their inauguration days [ ]. Because of the celebratory nature of
inaugurals, presidents attempt to accomplish many tasks with their speeches. These
verbal activities in inaugurals are what Austin termed as speech acts.

In political speeches, regardless the language, the following characteristics

should be distinguished- ethics, aesthetics, sociology, psychology, logic, literature
and linguistics. In more details, it means that the speech language should fulfill at
least these functions: to present the sound and correct political opinion, to attract
the audience and make them into serious thinking, to move and persuade them to
accept the speakers viewpoints, to encourage the audience to do what the speaker
wants them to do. The requirements for English political speaking are much more
strict and solemn. The public speech has a structure of paper, truth of news item,
language of a fiction, passion in a poem, material of a prose, and the humor of a
comic dialogue. All these characteristic features of political speeches can be
properly achieved by means of some stylistic features. First, the political viewpoint
is quite firm and clear. In a speech, the speaker must tell his audience what he
wants to express today and what his political opinion is about this matter. Second,
the political speaking must be endowed with overwhelming power of logic that is
eloquent and with no chink in the armor. And third, the political speaking should
burst forth the intense inspiring force.

The success of political speeches is directly connected with the well-known

and frequently used device- repetition. The repetition or restatement of an idea at
intervals not only promotes clarity, but encourages the acceptance of an idea. When
you repeat and emphasize one idea, competing ideas are subordinated and
sometimes are driven completely out of the audience's mind. Repetition is a classic
technique in presentation and speech making. It can help you tie the theme together
and it creates clarity for the listener.

Metonymy in political discourse is closely connected with the speaker's

public image: it's a unique stylistic device which increases or reduces the speaker's
responsibility. Metonymy as a rhetorical device facilitates the perception of the
political images and expresses their meaning in a more concentrated manner. The
underlying idea of an image is understood by readers/listeners as it is brought to
their minds by the context itself. This device is mainly typical of inauguration
addresses as the president is responsible for the whole nation and country. There
are numerous instances in political discourse when the place of some institution is
used not only for the institution itself or for its staff but also for referring to its
policy.

Repetition is a universal stylistic device used in political speeches all over

the world. The frequent use of this devices is conditioned by the fact that repetition
helps the politicians achieve their goals: Used in speech, repetition not only makes
it easy for the audience to follow what the speaker is saying, but also gives a strong
rhythmic quality to the speech and makes it more memorable. The repetition helps
to achieve the function of coherence in discourse and the function of reinforcement
in mood and emotion.