Coercive Discourse Patterns in President George Bush's 2001 and 2005 Inaugural Addresses.
This paper investigates coercive strategies employed by President Bush in his 2001 1 and 2005 2 inaugural addresses. The study is situated in the broad field of discourse analysis whose main thrust is to investigate the use of language in naturally occurring connected speech or written texts. In carrying out the study, the researchers used the qualitative research method where the two inaugural addresses have been used as primary sources. These sources are subjected to critical scrutiny with the intention of establishing the strategies employed by the President to rally the American audience and international community towards his vision. The study has revealed that the President employs a multiplicity of coercive discourse patterns in his quest to garner popular support for his policies, and legitimacy in their implementation. The use of binaries, collective pronouns and lexical reiteration are some of the key weapons unleashed on the audience.
In 1899 Thorstein Veblen wrote a seminal monograph on the subject of consumption and leisure. ::: His work, The Theory of the Leisure Class, is one of the most enduring examples of status-seeking ::: individuals� conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure practices, particularly when applied ::: to the tourist industry, and furthermore, is still relevant in today�s economic climate. This article ::: develops an independent theory of backpackers and how they can be perceived as undertaking ::: conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure practices. This is done using Veblen�s work as ::: a foundation. Qualitative methods using in-depth interviews and participant observation techniques ::: are employed to obtain data from 41 participants. The findings serve to highlight the fact that ::: Veblen�s thesis is as relevant today as it was when it was written in 1899.