奥巴马就职演讲稿修辞简析

奥巴马就职演讲稿修辞简析

Summary:

总统大多在美国历史上占有特殊地位，其演说亦各具特色。作为美国的第四十四任总统句子结构，巴洛克.奥巴马就任之际正逢全国性的经济危机，其就职演说不可避免的也会起到表达这位新晋总统的政治思想和增加公众对于政府的信心的作用。本文将从修辞手段的运用，句子类型以及宗教特色等多方面就这篇就职演说词的语言特色进行分析。

Key words:

Repetition, Parallelism, Figures of similarity, Figures of Contrast

Introduction:

一、Repetition 反复

Repetition is an important figure of speech. It usually repeats the same word, phrase, and sentence to intensify the mood, emphasize the ideas, and show the strong feelings. It’s used widely in poetry, prose, novel, speech etc. In the daily life, we also often use it.

E.g.:

1.But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you .

2.Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or ina short span of time. But know this, America, they will be met.

3.This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed

在奥巴马的就职演说词中，有多个词如“危机”等被反复使用。具体分析如下：　　

通过分析上表可以看出，总统在演说中多次提到我们以及表示危机、精神和奋斗等意义的词语。通过反复的强调，使整个国家的听众感受到总统战胜危机、继续推进国家发展的决心和信心。在演说词中，较之于对“threat”的轻蔑语气，奥巴马更青睐“work”一词，这也清楚而且强烈的表达出了他对于当前国家经济状况的政治态度和决心。与其他词相比，“we”是使用次数最多的一个单词。在这一个个的我们当中，听众感受到与演说者的一种强烈的亲密联系，整个国家仿佛一个紧密团结的整体，应当共同努力、共同奋斗以及共同前行。由此，演说的目的也就达到了。

二、Parallelism 排比

“Parallelism”的中文为排比，是指为了达到修辞效果而循环出现的、句法相似的结构。英语排比讲究结构整齐，节奏鲜明，语言简练等特点．在英语演讲中运用排比句，可以增加演讲词的节奏感，突出演讲者雄辩口才和强烈感情，增强演讲语言的气势，提高演讲的说服力，增强演讲的吸引力。

Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.

E.g.:

1. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered

2. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea,

3.For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

4.The God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their ful measure of happiness

5.I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.

6.It has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things

三．Figures of similarity 比喻

E.g.:

And because we have tasted the bitterswill of civilwar and segregation, and emerged from that dark chap terstronger and more united.

四．Figures of Contrast 对照修辞格

E.g.:

1. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
2. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
3. In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned.

Conclusion:

演讲是一门劝说的艺术。演讲者要达到劝说的目的，就必须讲究演讲词的语言表达技巧，这种技巧在语言层面的体现之一就是修辞手法的运用。由于演说词庄重严肃的独特语境,虽然这篇演说是通过口头方式进行表达的,却具有较强的书面语特征.本文通过对其就职演说在修辞手法方面的分析，意在指出修辞手段的熟练运用，对演说词的文体特征的准确把握使它成为英文政治演说中的成功之作,不仅具有很高的欣赏价值,而且顺利地达到了总统就职演说的政治目的。

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