International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences

Vol-8, Issue-2; Mar-Apr, 2023

Journal Home Page Available: https://ijels.com/

Journal DOI: 10.22161/ijels

Exploring Controversial Issues: Discursive Devices in

Duterte’s Speeches
Elvie Lyka L. Duran, Ph.D.

Department of General Teacher Training, North Eastern Mindanao State University, Philippines

Received: 04 Mar 2023; Received in revised form: 01 Apr 2023; Accepted: 12 Apr 2023; Available online: 18 Apr 2023
©2023 The Author(s). Published by Infogain Publication. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Abstract— The qualitative study examined the discursive devices in President Duterte’s speeches on
controversial issues using Critical Discourse Analysis. This study looked at ten controversial speeches
given by President Duterte between 2016 and 2019, including a hardline stance against drugs and
criminality, an end to graft and corruption in the government, a despotic policy against drug pushers,
making brash off-the-cuff remarks, extreme bravery, stepped-up attacks against the rebels, and intense love
for his country. The study results revealed that President Duterte used different discursive devices such as
dysphemism, directness, alliteration, anaphora, metaphor, epiphora, and expressive values to evoke
affiliative responses from his audiences, offend groups of people, give rhythm to the speeches, and
emphasize, influence, encourage, and persuade others. The findings may be utilized further to provide
valuable insight to the people to become good listeners and properly discern a particular discourse's real
and fundamental meaning.
Keywords— Controversial issues, Discursive devices, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

I. INTRODUCTION communication norms, he uncovers the crowd's frustration

President Duterte is known as a populist leader on the surface. He may not have the most specific policy,
who has faced numerous challenges and controversial but he presents the sincerest expression of
issues that torpedoed other presidents. His misogynistic sympathy. Duterte’s gutter and vulgar language signify his
remarks, charges of sexual assault and human rights urgency to save the nation (Timberman, 2019). [4]
violations, and a ruthless crackdown on narcotics that has Politicians often use discursive devices in
resulted in tens of thousands of Filipinos’ deaths have all expressing their intentions and making a message stand out
drawn heated opposition and criticism (Bernstein, 2020) from the surrounding talk. These techniques are good for
[1]. getting audiences to laugh and applaud. The audience's
He made global headlines due to his cheers and laughter are strong indicators of how well the
unpredictable policy shifts, direct, blunt, and offensive devices worked to get their attention and acceptance.
statements, and the extrajudicial killings, which often Through this, they make their words more impactful and
included people being shot dead on the streets by persuasive to an audience (Hosman, Huebner & Siltanen,
unidentified men. These issues provoked criticism and 2002). [5]
condemnation on a global scale (BBC, 2022) [2]. He is the As revealed by Blanco (2021) [6] in her study,
type of president whose exercise of power and President Duterte used promises, chiasmus, positive self-
unprecedented cruelty go against democratic norms representation, lexical repetition, deductive and inductive
(Bonnet, 2018). [3] reasoning, and implicit and explicit threats in his speeches.
Despite President’s Duterte mounting criticism He interacted with the public with his ideas so that his
and offensive remarks deviating from the respectful audience could understand his feelings and emotions. His
language stylistically demonstrates his ideals, values, and

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 146
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

body of knowledge, which attracted much attention on the rebels, intense love for his country, a loathing of abusive
local and even international scene. and extortionate police, and the insurgency in Mindanao.
The study is focused on exploring the discursive In analyzing the data, the researcher read the
devices utilized by President Duterte in his speeches on speeches multiple times to identify the discursive devices
controversial issues. Through this, hidden meanings grounded in Fairclough’s theory supported by Finegan’s
beyond words spoken are revealed, and people would be ideas and used coding to identify the controversial issues,
able to reconceptualize and shift their focus from their similarities, and differences in Duterte’s speeches. Coding
literal meaning. The study is also highlighted since a was also done on the articles, phrases, and sentences for a
limited number of studies dealt with controversial issues more straightforward interpretation and data summary.
during his presidency. Other discursive devices are still to The first speech was coded as PRRDS1 and the last as
be discovered because they are not yet identified in other PRRDS10, followed by the paragraph number. The
studies. analyses were provided in tabular style with quotes from
the speeches to provide a clear overview of the result of
the study. Finally, conclusions were formed to address the
II. METHODOLOGY
study issues.
The study utilized the qualitative design and
employed critical discourse analysis to explore President
Duterte’s discursive devices in his speeches on III. FINDINGS
controversial issues and understand how he used the Discursive devices or rhetorical devices or
language in real-life situations. Critical Discourse Analysis rhetorical strategies are used in political speeches to
(CDA) studies a spoken language according to its social convey meaning or persuade the audience on a particular
context. argument the politicians are leaning on. It is a technique
The ten speeches that Duterte made from 2016 to used to evoke emotion by the hearers or audience.
2019 on contentious topics served as the corpora for this Speakers use many rhetorical devices in their speeches to
study. The Presidential Communications Operation Office, achieve specific effects. The effect of discursive devices in
MindaNews, and Inquirer.net were the sources for the political speeches often results from combining them.
speeches' official transcripts. These websites were This part presents the discursive devices found in
considered to be in the public domain already. The ten the speeches of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on
transcripts of PRRD's speeches only address contentious controversial issues. These include dysphemism,
topics, such as a hardline stance against drugs and directness, alliteration, anaphora, metaphor, epiphora, and
criminality, an end to graft and corruption in the expressive values.
government, a despotic policy against drug pushers and
critics, making brash off-the-cuff remarks, extreme
bravery, and courage, stepped-up attacks against the

Table 1: Discursive Devices in PRRD’s Speeches on Controversial Issues

Controversial Discursive Excerpts from PPRD’s Speeches
Issues Devices

Brash manner dysphemism • ang mga y*** na ito --- bread and wine pa PRRDS1-P39
of speaking/ • …itong mga obispo na mga u*** PRRDS2-P33
making brash • Akala siguro ng mga buwang kasi eh, ang Pilipinas…
off-the-cut Nagkulang ang mga g*** eh PRRDS9-P90
remarks
Hardline stance Directness • …huhulihin talaga kita PRRDS1-P86
against drugs • Papatayin talaga kita. PRRDS1-P115
and criminality • You criminals, kidnappers, gun-for-hire whether soldiers or civilians,
or whatever animal you are, go out of this city or I will kill you. And
as very specific to those who are into drugs, and you are now
destroying a generation of Filipinos, go out because I will kill you.
PRRDS9-P30

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 147
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

Alliteration • patay sila dito, patay doon pati ‘yung mga criminal. PRRDS6-P12

Challenging his Directness • And I said that I will kill you if you do drugs in this country, I will do it
detractors and I don’t give a s***. I will do it. If you destroy the next generation
or compromise their future, I will do it. Period. PRRDS9-P30
• If you have a gripe or complaint against the Philippines or personally
sa akin, go to the United Nations, ventilate your gripe or your
grievance then ask for a motion that it be sent to the proper organ or
agency under the United Nations. PRRDS9-P58

Cessation of Directness • I will arrest you and place you inside the prison and I will see to it that
graft and you will not get out for the longest time. PRRDS1-P29
corruption in • You commit corruption,
the government you threaten people,
you destroy people PRRDS1-P41
• Sabi ko, I will fight corruption and I am going to do it. PRRDS9-P65

Anaphora • And so what I can say is that: In this government, there will be no
corruption. In this government, it will be clean, as in clean and this
government will promise you law and order. PRRDS9-P41
• Now again, I would repeat, I will not allow my country to be destroyed.
I will not allow my country — the next generation to be compromised.
Maski ano gawin ko. And I will not allow corruption to destroy my
government. PRRDS9-P54

Amped up Directness • I have talked to the communists and I would like to thank Norway. I
attacks against have talked to Murad, the leader of the MILF, one of the bigger
the left/ rebels/ factions in this secessionist movement. PRRDS9-P7
communists • Kayong mga komunista, you are just wasting your time. You cannot
prevail over Government of the Republic of the Philippines neither can
you find a sanctuary under a communist rule. Huwag na tayong
magbolahan. Iyan ang mangyayari sa inyo. PRRDS8-P41
• But I am warning the leaders whom I have released and who are now
talking to the representatives of my government: Do not attempt to
come home. I will arrest all of you and throw you to the slammer.
PRRDS8-P44

Anaphora • There are a lot of them… There are a lot of them and in some places in
Mindanao, aplenty. PRRDS9-P15

Metaphor • …okay lang 'yang mga bata pero kanang matatanda, ang inyong
bibliya ang utok ni Sison. PRRDS2-P95
Insurgency in Anaphora • Walang gustong mamatay dito, pati ‘yang mga Moro diyan. Walang
Mindanao gustong sumali sa salpukan ng kamatayan. PRRDS6-P14

Epiphora • I will… If you go down, I go down. But for this martial law and the
consequences of martial law and the ramifications of martial law…
PRRDS6-P46

Directness • I have to fight everyday until this conflict is dissolved. I could only
pray for you, pray for my policemen that they will be, there will be a
deliverance from harm, na sana wala masyado tayong tama. PRRDS6-P18

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 148
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

• Pero ang utos ko naman sa tropa is lahat ng tao na hindi authorized ng

gobyerno na magdala ng baril at lumaban, patayin ninyo. Ubusin na
lang ninyo. PRRDS6-P28
Abhorrence of Directness • Iyong police, hanggang karami pang kalokohan, you better shape up
Abusive and because I will rise and fall sa issue ng corruption. Ang police
extortionist maraming atraso. P****** i** kayo. Sinabi ko na sa inyo, tama na eh.
police PRRDS3-P37
• But I think yung nag-sige kidnap, kidnap dito (those who always do the
kidnapping), either it’s the ninja police or ito talagang scalawags. So
the good practice maybe sa (in) ninja cops, I will now raise the amount
of five million per ninja cop. If you bring him to me dead, I’ll give you
500,000, no questions asked o three million. PRRDS3-P38

Extreme Expressive • I know that we continue to lose men. We will just have to bite the
bravery and values bullet and fight for our country because this is the only country that we
courage have. PRRDS8-P93

3.1. Dysphemism PRRD also utilizes the offensive word u*** (ulol) to
This is the use of a harsh, more offensive word instead of describe the bishops. He is reproaching them, for they
one considered less harsh and is often contrasted with cannot stop the evil practices of the priests and fellow
euphemism. PRRD is known for making brash off-the-cut bishops. They had physically and sexually abused male
remarks, and one way of using it is by saying disparaging children and even had illicit relationships with women. In
or offensive expressions in dealing with the different the platform, as if they are devout but outside or inside the
controversial issues in the country. He employs this device convent, their profession and deeds do not speak of their
as a form of humiliating or degrading the priests/bishops, personality. This issue has also become a problem for the
criminals, and those criticizing his form of government. pope.

3.1.1. Brash manner of speaking Another offensive term used by President Duterte in
his line, “Akala siguro ng mga buwang kasi eh, ang
The following lines express dysphemism…
Pilipinas” is buwang, which refers to idiots. PRRD
ang mga y*** na ito --- bread and wine pa thought criminals could do anything, especially since
PRRDS1-P39 government officials and employees did refractory deeds.
these f****** b******--- with bread and wine He will have no exemptions, but everyone involved in
still criminal acts shall answer. Lastly, he used the term g***
(fool) to describe his critics, who kept condemning him,
…itong mga obispo na mga u*** PRRDS2-P33
disregarding the context of his speech. These critics are not
…these bishops who are u*** just ordinary people but have high positions in business or
Akala siguro ng mga buwang kasi eh, ang private firms.
Pilipinas,… 3.2. Directness
These stupid persons thought that Philippines In the speech, directness is the quality of being
eh,… straightforward and concise, which means stating a main
Nagkulang ang mga g*** eh PRRDS9-P90 point clearly without embellishments or digressions.
President Duterte is also known for his frankness and
These g*** missed something eh
bluntness in speaking. He says things honestly, and he is
In PRRD’s first line, the offensive word is y*** which straightforward in attitude and speech. PRRD is unafraid
means devil. He used this term to express his to expose everything he knows and even mentions the
disappointments to the priests. He wants to emphasize to names of the persons involved in controversial issues.
the public that they live in abundance because of the
3.2.1. Hardline stance against drugs and criminality
people’s offerings. However, despite this, there are
numerous instances where they become the subject of The following lines show PRRD’s use of directness in
criticism. They become selfish and self-serving, and they discussing this issue.
fail to value the welfare of the people.

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 149
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

…huhulihin talaga kita PRRDS1-P86 grievance then ask for a motion that it be sent
…I will capture you to the proper organ or agency under the United
Nations. PRRDS9-P58
Papatayin talaga kita. PRRDS1-P115
3.3.1. Cessation of graft and corruption in the
I will really kill you
government
You criminals, kidnappers, gun-for-hire,
PRRD is straight to the point concerning his concerns
whether soldiers or civilians, or whatever
about widespread graft and corruption. Consider the given
animal you are, go out of this city or I will
lines.
kill you. And as very specific to those who
are into drugs, and you are now destroying I will arrest you and place you inside the prison
a generation of Filipinos, go out because I and I will see to it that you will not get out for the
will kill you. PRRDS9-P30 longest time. PRRDS1-P29

PRRD accentuates his hardline stance against drugs You commit corruption,
and criminality by addressing his message you threaten people,
straightforwardly to his listeners, particularly those who go you destroy people PRRDS1-P41
on a drinking spree or just by standing. He wants them to
Sabi ko (I said), I will fight corruption and I am
refrain from staying on the streets in the wee hours of the
going to do it. PRRDS9-P65
night. PRRD directly addresses another line to the people
who are peddling shabu or cocaine that ruin the minds and I said, I will fight corruption and I am going to do
future of the sons and daughters of the country. As part of it.
providing the youths with a very comfortable life free from PRRD is unafraid to personally arrest the violators of
harm and danger, he stresses that he will not hesitate to kill graft and corruption in the government. He emphasizes
them. Furthermore, he also speaks his thoughts directly to that he will see to it that these culprits will stay very long
all the criminals, violators, and culprits of all forms of in jail to suffer for the wrong deeds they have done. By so
crimes in the country. He advises them to abandon the city, doing, he wants others to learn a lesson and see the
stop doing their business, and stop destroying a generation consequences of doing it. He does not also hesitate to
of Filipinos; otherwise, he shall kill them if they choose to divulge the persons involved in corruption. These corrupt
stay and continue their business. individuals are threatening and destroying the future of the
3.3. Challenging his detractors Filipino people; thus, the President engages in a tedious
process to get dishonest public officials out of power.
The president constantly warns the people responsible for
Though he wants to eliminate graft and corruption in the
the proliferation or distribution of drugs in the country to
Philippines, it is becoming pervasive already. For him,
stop, for he will kill them. He is very stern about this
corruption continues and enervates the courage needed to
matter. As stated by the President that he will exhaust all
sustain the moral recovery initiatives of the nation.
means to end this problem and will continue until the last
drug lords and pushers are out in the streets. He does not 3.3.2. Amped up attacks against the
want to destroy the future of today’s generation of left/rebels/communists
Filipinos. Moreover, he points out those who have Directness as a discursive device is also evident in
complaints against his policy and his personality. He PRRD’s speeches on this controversial issue. Some
challenges them to file a motion to elevate their grievances excerpts from his speeches deal with the issue of
to the United Nations. He clarifies that he is undaunted in lefts/rebels/communists.
answering the complaints against him because he is only
I have talked to the communists and I would like to
concerned about the Filipino people. PRRD expresses
thank Norway. I have talked to Murad, the leader of
these ideas in the following lines.
the MILF, one of the bigger factions in this
And I said that I will kill you if you do drugs secessionist movement. PRRDS9-P7
in this country, I will do it and I don’t give a
Kayong mga komunista, you are just wasting your
s***. I will do it. If you destroy the next
time. You cannot prevail over Government of the
generation or compromise their future, I will
Republic of the Philippines neither can you find a
do it. Period. PRRDS9-P30
sanctuary under a communist rule. Huwag na tayong
If you have a gripe or complaint against the magbolahan. Iyan ang mangyayari sa inyo. PRRDS8-P41
Philippines or personally sa akin, go to the
United Nations, ventilate your gripe or your

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 150
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

You communists, you are just wasting your time. I have to fight everyday until this conflict is
You cannot prevail over the Government of the dissolved. I could only pray for you, pray for
Republic of the Philippines neither can you find a my policemen that they will be, there will be a
sanctuary under a communist rule. Let us not deceive deliverance from harm, na sana wala masyado
ourselves anymore. That will happen to you. tayong tama (that we will have less casualty.
But I am warning the leaders whom I have released PRRDS6-P18

and who are now talking to the representatives of my Pero ang utos ko naman sa tropa is lahat ng
government: Do not attempt to come home. I will tao na hindi authorized ng gobyerno na
arrest all of you and throw you to the slammer. PRRDS8- magdala ng baril at lumaban, patayin ninyo.
P44 Ubusin na lang ninyo. PRRDS6-P28
President Duterte publicly mentioned the name of But I command the troops that everyone who
the organization/name of the person behind the success of is not authorized by the government to carry a
the negotiation agreement between the two parties. He gun and fight back, kill them. Just finish them
informed everyone that he had already made a negotiation all.
with Joma as well as the other rebel groups. The President Duterte directly assures the soldiers and
negotiation agreement was done in Oslo, Norway, between uniformed men that he will fight every day until the
the government and the communist groups. He agreed to conflict is completely dissolved. He expressed his sincerity
conduct this panel to end up the insurgency problem. This as he said that he is praying for the safety of his police
agreement is advantageous to both parties. He thanked the officers from harm and further wishes that few casualties
Norway government for allowing the negotiation or peace will happen to his men. He also directs his men to arrest
talks. He had also talked to Murad, the MILF leader, about those who bring guns/weapons not authorized by law and
the peaceful negotiation. He is very supportive of the BBL those who go against them. He further directs valiantly to
Law so that a peace agreement would be achieved. kill them if they resist. His order is to crack down on anti-
In PRRD’s second line, “Kayong mga komunista, criminality in the country.
you are just wasting your time. You cannot prevail over 3.3.4. Abhorrence of abusive and extortionist police
the Government of the Republic of the Philippines neither
President Duterte further delivers his messages on this
can you find a sanctuary under a communist rule. Huwag
issue to the crowd straightforwardly. This can be seen in
na tayong magbolahan. Iyan ang mangyayari sa inyo,” he
the following lines.
admonishes the communist group to stop, for they cannot
overthrow the government of the Philippines. For him, Iyong police, hanggang karami pang
communism has no place, and nobody will cuddle it. He is kalokohan, you better shape up because I will
also deadly serious in his campaign to end terrorism and rise and fall sa issue ng corruption. Ang police
insurgency in the Philippines. It serves as an ultimate maraming atraso. P****** i** kayo. Sinabi
warning for them. According to PRRD, if he had conceded ko na sa inyo, tama na eh. PRRDS3-P37
before on this matter by freeing the prisoner, now it would Those police who until now have lots of
be different. He will recall his order to arrest them again bullshits, you better shape up because I will
once they return to the communist group. rise and fall in the issue of corruption. (The
In his third line, “But I am warning the leaders policemen have done many wrong things. You
whom I have released and who are now talking to the p******i**. I told you to stop, that’s enough.
representatives of my government: Do not attempt to come But I think yung nag-sige kidnap, kidnap ditto,
home. I will arrest all of you and throw you to the either it’s the ninja police or ito talagang
slammer,” he further gives a stern warning to the scalawags (these scalawags truly). So the
terrorist/rebel leaders who were given a pardon and good practice maybe sa ninja cops, I will now
released from their prison cells. He does not want them to raise the amount of five million per ninja cop.
do negotiations again with the government officials. In If you bring him to me dead, I’ll give you
addition, he cautions Jose Maria Sison and other rebel 500,000, no questions asked o three million.
leaders not to come to the Philippines because he will put PRRDS3-P38
them back in prison.
But I think those who always do the
3.3.3. Insurgency in Mindanao kidnapping, either it’s the ninja police these
In confronting this issue, PRRD expressed directness in scalawags truly. So the good practice maybe
the following lines. in ninja cops, I will now raise the amount of

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 151
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

five million per ninja cop. If you bring him to 3.5. Anaphora
me dead, I’ll give you 500,000, no questions An anaphora is a rhetorical device in which a word or
asked or three million. expression is repeated at the beginning of several
The president directly condemns the police sentences, clauses, or phrases. Politicians also utilize this
officers for the many foolishness they are involved like discursive device in their speeches.
drugs, kidnap for ransom, corruption, and many other 3.5.1. Cessation of graft and corruption in the
crimes. He instructs them to make themselves government.
commendable and show the people the true image of a
President Duterte employs anaphora in his speeches on the
police officer. He further mentioned that once they
issue of corruption in the Philippines. Consider the given
engaged in this malpractice, the name of the President was
lines of PRRD during the 42nd Philippine Business
also dragged along with it. Thus, he always encourages
Conference (PBC) And Expo Concluding Ceremony
them to stop, or else he will be compelled to file an
“Giant Steps 2016 and Beyond”.
administrative case or terminate them.
And so what I can say is that: In this government,
In addition, PRRD is fed up with the alleged
there will be no corruption. In this government, it
involvement of these officials, the ninja cops, or scalawags
will be clean, as in clean and this government will
in illegal drug shakedowns, protection rackets, and
promise you law and order. PRRDS9-P41
kidnapping. For this reason, he raised the reward money
for those who can bring him a ninja cop directly involved Now again, I would repeat, I will not allow my
in the crime cited above and for every erring Ninja cop country to be destroyed. I will not allow my country
killed by law enforcers. — the next generation to be compromised. Maski ano
gawin ko. (No matter what I do).And I will not allow
3.4. Alliteration
corruption to destroy my government. PRRDS9-P54
This refers to repeating the same consonant sounds at the
The president keeps on repeating the phrase ‘this
beginning of words close to each other. This repetition of
government’ in order to persuade his audience to believe
sounds brings attention to the lines in which it is used and
him as he assures them of eradicating or minimizing graft
creates a more aural rhythm. Many public speakers also
and corruption, starting from the highest branch of
use alliteration as a discursive device to produce a specific
government to the lowest one and promising the whole
effect when they convey their speeches, and PRRD is one
nation in maintaining law and order at all times. The
of them.
president himself spearheads the fight against graft and
3.4.1. Hardline stance against drug and criminality corruption. He puts his best foot forward in attaining peace
Consider the given line of PRRD during his visit to the and order always. Moreover, he reiterates the phrase ‘I will
2nd Mechanized Infantry (Magbalantay) Brigade. not allow’ to appeal to the audience's emotions and spark
..patay sila dito, patay doon pati his concern for the country and the Filipino people by
‘yung mga criminal.PRRDS6-P12 providing them with a good life and future. He would not
allow the Philippines to be destroyed by drugs, terrorism,
..they were killed here, they were
or crime. He would not allow these things to compromise
killed there including the criminals
the next generation of Filipinos.
President Duterte uses this element to give rhythm to
3.5.2. Amped up attacks against the
his speeches and to make his speech memorable. In his
left/rebels/communists
statement, PRRD repeatedly used ‘they were killed’ as
words that have alliteration and are not adjacent to each As a rhetorical device, anaphora is also used by PRRD for
other, for there are some other words between them. emphasis. He highlights that there are plenty of groups in
PRRD repeatedly uttered these words to grab the Mindanao that he fails to communicate with personally
audience’s attention in highlighting these criminals who and convince for a peaceful negotiation because they are
were killed in different locations and involved in a series groups of scholars representing their religion. These
of crimes in our country. He emphasized that because of groups are the elite groups of their religion who are
this, most of their corpses were not identified anymore. responsible for planning a terrorist attack. The president
Others were stolen and were not even given a decent could not force them to punish them because of the
burial. freedom of religion as cited in the constitution. This idea is
expressed in his line below.

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 152
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

There are a lot of them… There are a lot of abandoned communism as their ideology because they
them and in some places in Mindanao, plenty. were not able to enjoy their freedom.
PRRDS9-P15 3. 7. Epiphora
3.5.3. Insurgency in Mindanao This is also known as epistrophe, a stylistic device in
Another line of PRRD that uses anaphora is presented which a word or a phrase is repeated at the end of
below. successive clauses. PRRD also uses this discursive device
Walang gustong mamatay dito, pati ‘yang mga in order to create rhythm and cadence. Consider the
Moro diyan. Walang gustong sumali sa excerpt from one of his speeches on the insurgency in
salpukan ng kamatayan. PRRDS6-P14 Mindanao.
I will… If you go down, I go down. But for
this martial law and the consequences of
Nobody wants to die here, even the Moro there.
martial law and the ramifications of martial
No one wants to join the death clash.
law… PRRDS6-P46
President Duterte repeatedly highlights the idea
The president repeatedly utters “go down” and
that nobody wants death. However, there is a formidable
“martial law” to highlight his message to the uniformed
enemy –ISIS, where they are described as the only
men that he is always behind their backs in times of war.
individuals influenced by the criminal act of butchery and
He assures them that he is always at their side in every
killing. This is where Islam religion is also incorporated,
undertaking. He is responsible for all of these regarding
including their influences from the terrorists’ activities
Martial law and other related matters. His use of repetition
from other countries. Others are considered disgruntled
makes the lines more memorable.
followers, and other groups are also members of non-
winning politicians. This is why they dare to join in the 3.8. Expressive Values
power clash. This pertains to the speaker’s meaningful delivery of the
3. 6. Metaphor message. PRRD uses this to highlight his resolute courage
and dauntlessness as he faces the dilemma of the existence
This is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase
of rebels, radicals/terrorists. He employs further expressive
denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of
values in his speeches to influence, encourage and
another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.
convince his audience to believe his side of the argument.
Political actors like President Duterte also use this analogy
Through this, his speech becomes more potent in stirring
in their speeches. Consider the following line taken from
people’s attention. This is evident in his line below.
the speech of PRRD during the 49 th Charter Day
Celebration of Mandaue City. I know that we continue to lose men. We will
just have to bite the bullet and fight for our
…okay lang 'yang mga bata pero kanang
country because this is the only country that we
matatanda, ang inyong bibliya ang utok ni Sison.
have. PRRDS8-P93
PRRDS2-P95
He uses the line, ‘We will just have to bite the
…it's okay for the kids but for those old people,
bullet,’ to express his thoughts on enduring the painful
your bible is Sison's brain.
experience during the Marawi siege meaningfully. He
The president uses metaphor to express encourages the people, particularly those who are affected,
indirectness in his speech. He is comparing the younger to be brave in such a difficult situation as many civilians in
and older minds in terms of choosing their ideology. Mindanao were killed, pervasive destruction of homes and
According to PRRD, the vulnerability of the younger property happened, and numerous soldiers lost their lives
generation as to their choice of ideology or idealism can be during the battle of Marawi between the Philippine
considered mainly when they accept or follow some military and militants allied to the armed group calling
idealisms which they believe are genuine and realistic. itself ISIS.
However, as they grow older, they should have thought
Moreover, the battle in Marawi causes agonizing
already what should be continued or stopped because they
pain to PRRD. Many soldiers have died and suffered life-
are already capable of weighing things well and
changing injuries during combat operations. With this
understanding the ideology. President Duterte underscores
experience, President Duterte encourages everyone to
the negative effect brought by following still the ideology
remember their sacrifice and service. Through their efforts,
of Sison (i.e., communism). He further accentuates the
they have made that country more secure. Everyone must
idea by setting China as an example where its people have

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 153
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

protect the country and fight for freedom and the future as is (Brown and Levinson, 1987) [17]. Directness is
concerned citizens of this nation. therefore considered to be, in essence, impolite. It may
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte employs various often be considered rude in English, but it signals
discursive devices or rhetorical devices in his speeches on closeness and honesty in other languages. Brown and
controversial issues to get people’s attention and support in Levinson argued that there is a scale of politeness, ranging
all his actions. Moreover, he uses them to persuade, from going off record and avoiding speaking at the most
convey ideas meaningfully, and evoke emotion on the part polite end of the scale to the directness of bald on-record
of the audience. utterances at the impolite or least polite end of the scale.
Thus, directness can be evaluated for some groups as being
closer to ‘necessity’ and thus associated with lower-class
IV. DISCUSSION behavior for some cultural groups (Grainger & Mills,
It is essential to know how politicians use 2016) [18]. However, this assumption appears to be based
discursive devices to convince an audience of their plans on the politeness norms of elite groups of English
(Kashiha, 2022). [7] According to Kaewrungruang and speakers. It becomes problematic when one looks at how
Yaoharee (2018), [8] the effect of rhetorical strategies in directness is utilized, assessed, and understood by
political speeches often results from combining them. interactants in other cultures, communities, and contexts.
Pantao (2021) [9] argues that the ability to convey the President Duterte is known for his bluntness in
message that the speaker and listener want the same thing speaking. His use of directness in his speeches signifies
plays a decisive role in establishing an ideology. simple and unsophisticated words. However, Grainger &
Politicians often use symbols to foster national unity to Mills (2016) pointed out that this discursive device
achieve a sense of congruence between the audience and depends very much on the linguistic community, whether a
the speaker (Blumenau & Lauderdale, 2022). [10] In style of speech is considered sophisticated, and whether it
addition, the political leaders in their speeches intend to indicates a concern for, or an awareness of, others.
convince the readers based on their ideological Similarly, when discussing directness, it is assumed that it
underpinnings and orientation. They do this by selecting is primarily used for commands. One person’s frankness
rhetorical tools that directly appeal to the emotions of their might be considered boorishness by another; another might
audience (Beqiri, 2018). [11] It also includes tone, diction, interpret one person’s indirectness as prevarication and
details, imagery, figurative language, humor, syntax, and indecisiveness (van der Bom & Mills, 2015). [19]
anything used to create an effect (Ekawati, 2018) [12]
Directness may be explained as matching the
deliberately.
grammatical structure it naturally takes with the speech
4.1. Dysphemism act. Directness requires the ability to recognize the
Dysphemism is a particular application of stylistically situation, however. Being too direct when stating your
reduced words and expressions to transmit a negative opinion is sometimes perceived as an insult, especially if
attitude or create an expression instead of using more the hearer perceives you as someone who belongs in the
suitable neutral words and expressions. Dysphemism lower social hierarchy (Chobanyan, 2015). [20]
constitutes insults in a positive tone which contrasts with Heitler (2015) [21] defines direct
typical conceptual dysphemistic uses (Gomez, 2012) [13]. communication as putting into words one’s feelings
The study’s findings support Prokhorova, Chekulai, and explaining one’s concerns. Common sayings like
Pupynina & Bekh’s claim (2019) [14] that the speaker “Honesty is the best policy” and “The squeaky wheel
chooses explicitly dysphemisms instead of neutral gets the grease” are reflective of direct communicators,
expressions to achieve a particular effect. The use of who are pretty adept at getting what they need (Joyce,
dysphemism helps President Duterte show his emotional 2012). [22] This is mainly because direct
state of character, express his attitudes and values, and communicators know how to spell out their needs to
even ridicule religion and everything associated with it. Its those who are in a position of being able to provide.
use does not mitigate, dissipate or attenuate the Furthermore, Heitler indicates that direct
connotations of the forbidden word but, on the contrary, communication points to solutions while
motivates and further reinforces its associations (Aytan, communicating thoughts and feelings indirectly via
Aynur, Aytac, et. Al, 2021 [15]; Shakoury, 2018). [16] such behaviors as stewing, pouting, gesturing, or
4.2. Directness skirting around a problem with co-option words and
phrases. However, it does little to resolve a problem.
The assumption in traditional politeness research tends to
be that the more indirect an utterance is, the more polite it

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 154
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

Direct language is usually simpler to create and, 4.5. Metaphor

as a result, requires less language control. The results The use of metaphor allows politicians to convert abstract
corroborate Dobbs’ (2016) [23] claim that directness adds political ideas into more concrete and specific ones for
importance to one’s words to show earnest conviction in easier understanding on the part of the people. A metaphor
one’s arguments and beliefs, making the speech more is a stylistic device associating abstract ideas with concrete
persuasive and evocative to the audience. images Sipra (2013). [29] These conceptualize the abstract
4.3. Alliteration domain of politics as something related to essential human
This device has been used chiefly in poetry; nevertheless, experience (Pasaribu, 2017). [30]
politicians use this element to give rhythm to their Metaphor is more than just a literary device
speeches. Naturally, human beings remember things better because it plays a fundamental part in how people
if they are rhythmic and melodious; hence, alliteration is represent social reality (Rubic-Remorosa, 2018). [31] The
an excellent device to make a speech memorable or easy to analysis revealed that some metaphors are elusive
remember (Bourse, 2019). [24] implications of issues that need great attention and action,
Abrams and Harpham (2013) [25] define and other metaphors are potent and profound and
alliteration as a rhetoric device where a speech sound in a emphasize recent issues. In addition, the analysis showed
sequence of nearby words is repeated. Politicians use that PRRD used metaphors to activate the listener’s
alliteration to deliver their political speeches and directly emotions. Metaphors may be highly manipulative as they
or indirectly address the people or audience directly or are highly enlightening, and the effect may be positive or
indirectly. It is a sound device to build an additional negative. Metaphors manipulate verbal messages to trigger
musical effect produced by the speaker’s utterance. The our mental image. Escudero (2011), cited in Pasaribu
musical effect catches listeners’ attention by creating the (2017), mentioned that the message conveyed by metaphor
desired political mood. The significance of this alliteration is compelling as it works through both auditory and visual
is two-fold, which includes creating rhythm and channels simultaneously, a verbal message and a mental
emphasizing essential points on a particular issue (Otieno, image. In any situation, metaphors make language vivid
2015). [26] and alive (Vestermark, 2007). [32]

The study's findings revealed that PRRD utilized President Duterte employs metaphor in his
non-immediate juxtaposition contrary to immediate speeches as a powerful tool to stir public consciousness;
juxtaposition alliteration. In non-immediate juxtaposition, that is, the system changes the people’s basic ideas about
the words that have alliteration are not adjacent to each themselves, their country, and their role in its
other. There are other words between them. It further development. The speaker aims to achieve persuasiveness
validates Harandi & Jahantigh’s (2017) [27] claim that through language (Stojan & Novak, 2019). [33] Since the
alliteration makes the speech of PRRD memorable and use of metaphor has a persuasive impact on the public's
evocative about the controversial issue of those criminals attitude, politicians like PRRD use it to facilitate and speed
who were killed in different locations and who were up the process of communication (Jimenez, 2017). [34]
involved in a series of crimes in our country; therefore, 4.6. Epiphora
this facilitates the audience to recall the ideas better. It is the term used to describe repeating the same word or
4.4. Anaphora phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences. It is
It is the repetition of identical words at the start of sometimes called epistrophe and antistrophe. This strategy
succeeding phrases, clauses, or sentences, generally in is used as a rhetorical device throughout the arts, literature,
conjunction with parallelism and climax. and famous speeches. PRRD utilizes Epiphora to deliver
his speeches on contentious issues, such as the insurgency
With the findings, the researcher concurs with
in Mindanao, for it uses repetition to emphasize his
Zimmer’s (2011) [28] proposition that using anaphora
keywords and phrases. With repetition falling at the end of
enables President Duterte to emphasize his keywords or
clauses or sentences, epiphora draws words and ideas
ideas, often with great emotional pull. Moreover, it makes
together to create a focal point of sound and meaning
his lines memorable. Furthermore, it enables him to
(Dlugan, 2015). [35]
achieve rhythm and beat for his words. These were shown
in the analysis of PRRD’s speeches on controversial This device effectively emphasizes a concept,
issues. idea, or situation. Since the emphasis is on the last word(s)
of a series of sentences or phrases, epiphora can be
dramatic and easy to understand, creating melody and
rhythm (Zimmer, 2011). [36]

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 155
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

4.7. Expressive Values rhythm and cadence to the speeches, and emphasize,
Compellingly powerful words can modify one’s judgment, influence, encourage, and persuade others. Despite using
arouse emotions, and influence one’s decisions. Expressive brash words in his speeches, he still shows solid values
values can be used to craft emotional descriptions and and love for the people and the country.
representations to arouse emotional reactions (Macagno & Hence, the researcher may utilize the
Walton, 2014). [37] abovementioned findings to provide valuable insight to the
In political discourse, expressional shades people to become good listeners and adequately discern
depending on the purpose of their use for giving these or the real and fundamental meaning of a particular
those semantic characteristics, can vary from friendly and discourse. Scholars can improve their ability to process
familiar to slightly sarcastic (Kenzhekanova, 2015). [38] and convey information while strengthening their
According to Mazayev (2005) [39], politicians' discourse persuasive skills. They could further analyze each
has been permanently colored by emotional character as rhetorical device as a specific tool in constructing an
the purpose of such performances is to convince the argument or making an existing argument more
listeners that imply certain language features of political compelling.
discourse.
The emotive meaning can be defined as a trend in REFERENCES
the language directly related to feelings and the [1] Bernstein, R. (2020). ‘The Paradox of Rodrigo Duterte.’ The
psychological attitude of the speaker when expressing Atlantic. 22 February. Available at
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/02/phili
something; this, in turn, may produce affective responses
ppines-rodrigo-duterte-china/606754/ (Accessed 8 March.
in people towards the matter addressed (Al-Hamad, 2011). 2020).
[40] The study revealed that PRRD used emotion-laden [2] Rodrigo Duterte profile: The provocative but popular
words to generate emotional appeal as he expressed his Philippines strongman. (2022, May 9). BBC News.
message to the crowd with extreme bravery and courage. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-36659258
He used expressive values or emotive expressions to [3] Bonnet, F.X. (2018). Portrait of Rodrigo Duterte - President of
the Philippines. Retrieved from
convey his feelings and attitudes on a controversial issue
https://www.institutmontaigne.org/en/analysis/portrait-rodrigo-
in a robust manner. It reiterates Al-Hamad’s (2011) duterte-president-philippines
findings that speakers emotively manipulate language to [4] Timberman, D. G. (2019). Philippine politics under Duterte: A
win their audience’s approval, and using emotive midterm assessment. Retrieved from
expressions enhances political speech and gives it a kind https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/01/10/philippine-politics-
under-duterte-midterm-assessment-pub-78091
of power. Emotiveness aims to direct listeners toward a
[5] Hosman, L. A., Huebner, T. M., & Siltanen, S. A. (2002). The
particular matter (Shunnaq, 2017). [41] President Duterte Impact of Power-of-Speech Style, Argument Strength, and
uses emotive expressions to provoke the feelings of an Need for Cognition on Impression Formation, Cognitive
audience, which may help gain their satisfaction and Responses, and Persuasion. Journal of Language and Social
support for what is spoken (Al Suod & Al-Matari, 2017). Psychology, 21(4), 361–379.
[42] https://doi.org/10.1177/026192702237954
[6] Blanco, C. (2021). A critical discourse analysis of President
Rodrigo Duterte’s speech in Covid-19 pandemic. EPRA
V. CONCLUSION International Journal of Research and Development. Volume 6
(Issue 10). https://eprajournals.com/IJSR/article/6098
The study examined and analyzed the discursive
[7] Kashiha, H. (2022). On persuasive strategies: Metadiscourse
devices used by President Duterte in his speeches on practices in political speeches. Discourse and Interaction, 15(1),
controversial issues during his presidency. PRRD’s 77–100. https://doi.org/10.5817/di2022-1-77
intentions, goals, and strategies used to gain the audience’s [8] Kaewrungruang, K. & Yaoharee, O. (2018). The use of
attention and trust were identified using Critical Discourse personal pronoun in political discourse: A case study of the
final 2016 United States presidential election debate.
Analysis.
eEFLections 25(1)
The present study revealed that PRRD achieves [9] Pantao, A. (2021). Linguistic Features of Kakawing Speeches:
discursive practices in his political discourse by employing A Critical Discourse Analysis. International Journal of
specific discursive devices or rhetorical strategies such as Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 4(3), 227–238.
https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2021.4.3.26
dysphemism, directness, alliteration, anaphora, metaphor,
[10] Blumenau, J. & Lauderdale, B.E. (2022). The variable
epiphora, and expressive values. Results entail that persuasiveness of political rhetoric. Americal Journal of
speakers like PRRD rely on rhetorical devices and Political Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12703
strategies to evoke affiliative responses from their [11] Beqiri, G. (2018). Ethos, pathos, logos: 3 pillars of public
audience. He uses them to offend a particular group, give speaking and persuasion. Retrieved from

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 156
Elvie Lyka L. Duran International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(2)-2021

https://virtualspeech.com/blog/ethos-pathos-logos-public- [30] Pasaribu, T. (2017). Domains of political metaphors in

speaking-persuasion presidential speeches. LLT Journal. Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 96-104
[12] Ekawati, R. (2018). The use of personal pronoun as a rhetorical [31] Rubic-Remorosa, R. (2018). President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s
strategy in Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s presidential speech Political Speeches: A Critical Discourse Analysis. IOSR Journal
text at the United Nations General Assembly. International Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS). Volume 23,
Seminar PRASASTI III: Current Research in Linguistics Issue 8, Ver. 2 (August. 2018) pp. 72-87
[13] Casas Gómez, Miguel. (2012). The Expressive Creativity of [32] Vestermark I. (2007). Metaphors in linguistics: a study of the
Euphemism and Dysphemism. Lexis. 7. 10.4000/lexis.349. metaphorical personification of America in political discourse.
[14] Prokhorova, N., Chekulai, V., Pupynina, V. & Bekh, F. (2019). Lulea University of Technology
Factors contributing to dysphemistic effect types of [33] Stojan, N. & Novak, S. (2019). Conceptual metaphors in
dysphemism. Retrieved from political discourse in Croatian, American and Italian
https://periodicos.ufpb.br/index.php/ged/article/view/49387. Newspapers. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies. 8.
[15] Aytan, A., Aynur, B., Hilal. P., Aytac. E., & Malahat, A. 69-76. 10.2478/ajis-2019-0007.
(2021). Euphemisms and dysphemisms as language means [34] Jimenez, L. (2017). Trabajo de Fin de Grado Discourse
implementing rhetorical strategies in political discourse. Journal analysis. Retrieved from
of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17(2), 741-754. Doi: https://rodin.uca.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10498/20019/
10.52462/jlls.52 TFG%20ING%20LVJ.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y
[16] Shakoury, K. (2018). Critical Discourse Analysis of Iranian [35] Dlugan, A. (2015). Spice up your speechwriting (Epiphora).
Presidents’ Addresses to the United Nations General Assembly Retrieved from http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/epiphora/ Dobbs,
(2007-2016) (Doctoral Dissertation). Available at B. (2016). Directness and indirectness when communicating in
https://harvest.usask.ca/bitstream/handle/ English. Retrieved from https://www.modernenglishteacher.
10388/8577/SHAKOURY-THESIS-2018.pdf?sequence=1 com/media/2358/dobbs.pdf
[17] Brown, P. & Levinson, S.C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals [36] Zimmer, J. (2011). Rhetorical devices: Epiphora. Retrieved
in language usage. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. from https://mannerofspeaking.org/2011/06/04/rhetorical-
[18] Grainger, K. & Mills, S. (2016). Directness and indirectness devices-anaphora/
across cultures. New York: Palgrave Macmillan [37] Macagno, F. & Walton, D. (2014). Emotive Language in
[19] Van der Bom, I. & Mills, S. (2015). A discursive approach to Argumentation. Cambridge University Press.
the analysis of politeness data. Journal of Politeness Research 10.1017/CBO9781139565776.
11(2) [38] Kenzhekanova, K. (2015). Linguistic features of political
[20] Chobanyan, N. (2015).The Interrelation between direct and discourse. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, Vol 6 No
indirect speech acts. Retrieved from 6 S2
https://www.academia.edu/20081738/ [39] Mazayev, A. (2005) Political discourse: factor of addressee.
The_Interrelation_between_direct_and_indirect_speech_acts Retrieved 2005 from
[21] Heitler, S. (2015). Indirect communication. Retrieved from http://www.ostu.ru/conf/ruslang2005/trend1/ mazaeva.htm
https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/indirect- [40] Al-Hamad, M. Q. (2011). Emotive expressions in President Al-
communication Assad's Political Speeches. Onomazein, 23(1), 149-170.
[22] Joyce, C. (2012). The impact of direct and indirect [41] Shunnaq, A. (2017). Lexical incongruence in translation due to
communication. Independent Voice. Retrieved from emotiveness.Turjuman, 2(2), 37-63
http://www.uiowa.edu/~confmgmt/documents/DIRECTAN [42] Al Soud, H.,Al Suod, Y. & Al-Matari, A. (2017). The
DINDIRECTCOMMUNICATION.pdf translatability of emotiveness in political speeches of King
[23] Dobb, B. (n.d.). Directness and indirectness when Abdullah II of Jordan: A critical discourse analysis. European
communicating English. Retrieved from Journal of English Language and Literature Studies. Vol.5, No.8
https://www.modernenglishteacher.com/media/2358/dobbs.pdf
[24] Bourse, S. (2019). Conjuring up terror and tears: the evocative
and persuasive power of loaded words in the political discourse
on drug reform. Lexis Journal in English Lexicology.
[25] Abrams, M.H. & Harpham, G.G. (2013). A glossary of literary
terms. Retrieved from https://static.s123-
cdn.com/uploads/3433317/normal_606f55ccdaf2b.pdf
[26] Otieno, T.M. (2015). Linguistic description of the rhetoric:
Barack Obama’s political speeches. IOSR Journal of
Humanities and Social Science 20(9)
[27] Harandi, M. & Jahantigh, H. (2017). Use of Persuasive
Language to Coax the Audience: A Study of John F. Kennedy
and Barack Obama’s Speeches. International Journal of English
Language & Translation Studies. 5(3). 129-136.
[28] Zimmer, J. (2011). Rhetorical devices: Epiphora. Retrieved
from https://mannerofspeaking.org/2011/06/04/rhetorical-
devices-anaphora/
[29] Sipra, M.A. (2013). Critical discourse analysis of Martin Luther
King’s Speech in socio-political perspective. Advances in
Language and Literary Studies

IJELS-2023, 8(2), (ISSN: 2456-7620) (Int. J of Eng. Lit. and Soc. Sci.)
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.82.22 157