L1 as a Tool for Dialogic Discourse in an ESL Classroom during Pre-Writing Stage

This descriptive-qualitative study investigated L1 functions in the pre-writing stage in the L2 context. It explored how L1 in the pre-writing stage built dialogic engagement as a form of empowerment necessary to engage in L2 writing. Grade 8 students conducted community interviews to gather local and national issues needed to elicit small group pre-writing discussions. Guided by the sociocultural theory of learning by Vygotsky and the dialogic model of Alexander (2010), results revealed that the speakers' L1 has significant roles in L2 writing. These identified classroom L1-supported discourses further build dialogic engagement among the participants, showing their empowered roles through problem-posing, referencing, reflecting, and problem-solving. Such L1-dialogic engagement further allows learners to penetrate social realities, which helps them to build critical awareness of their society. Data open implications for teaching English, specifically promoting critical language pedagogy in second language learning

Social Distancing, Community Quarantine and Bullets: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte's Speeches on the War Against COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: Language is essential in creating ideologies and power as a means of delivering a politician's agenda. Building such power, this study explored the transitivity processes and how they constructed ideological frame used in the first seven speeches of the Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on the precautionary measures of the government during the COVID-19 crisis. Approach/Methodology/Design: Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied in this study. The corpus of the study was downloaded from the website of the Presidential Communications Operations Office of the Philippine government. These consist of his first seven (7) public speeches and addresses with the 15,749 total number of words. Findings: Guided by Halliday and Matthiessen's (2004; 2014) transitivity system, it was revealed that Duterte has a total 1,371 processes with a preponderance use of material, relational, and mental processes showing that the president's concrete action, clarity of description and emotional appeal effectively delivered his agenda as a political leader in order to win the present crisis. These resulted in building a connection with his audience in presenting specific guidelines in addressing the health-related issues including social distancing, community and home quarantine, government assistance, public support and a number of warnings. Likewise, the result shows that language certainly serves as a tool in shaping philosophical foundations to serve both the speaker and the listeners in achieving their goals. Practical Implications: Presenting a discourse analysis of presidential speeches in a time of crisis, COVID-19. Originality/value: Public discourses on the precautionary measures of the government in fighting COVID-19 prove that Pres. Rodrigo Duterte's Speeches power, ideologies and policies are constructed and delivered through transitivity system of Halliday and Matthiessen

Social Distancing, Community Quarantine and Bullets: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s Speeches on the War against COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: Language is essential in creating ideologies and power as a means of delivering a politician’s agenda.  Building such power, this study explored the transitivity processes and how they constructed ideological frame used in the first seven speeches of the Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on the precautionary measures of the government during the COVID-19 crisis.  Approach/Methodology/Design: Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied in this study. The corpus of the study was downloaded from the website of the Presidential Communications Operations Office of the Philippine government.  These consist of his first seven (7) public speeches and addresses with the 15,749 total number of words. Findings: Guided by Halliday and Matthiessen’s (2004; 2014) transitivity system, it was revealed that Duterte has a total 1,371 processes with a preponderance use of material, relational, and mental processes showing that the president’s concrete action, clarity of description and emotional appeal effectively delivered his agenda as a political leader in order to win the present crisis.  These resulted in building a connection with his audience in presenting specific guidelines in addressing the health-related issues including social distancing, community and home quarantine, government assistance, public support and a number of warnings.  Likewise, the result shows that language certainly serves as a tool in shaping philosophical foundations to serve both the speaker and the listeners in achieving their goals. Practical Implications: Presenting a discourse analysis of presidential speeches in a time of crisis, COVID-19. Originality/value: Public discourses on the precautionary measures of the government in fighting COVID-19 prove that Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s Speeches power, ideologies and policies are constructed and delivered through transitivity system of Halliday and Matthiessen

WOMEN’S RIGHT, A CALL FOR LIFE: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF PRES. DONALD TRUMP’S SPEECH FOR THE 2020 MARCH FOR LIFE

Political ideologies and power are shaped by politicians’ manipulation of linguistic features that appeared in their public discourses. Employing transitivity system, this study investigated President Donald Trump’s speech during the 2020 “March for Life†to identify the transitivity processes and to determine how these processes are assimilated in the said discourse.  Findings revealed that 126 transitivity processes are dominantly material, relational, and mental.  Being the first US president who graced this event, material processes constructed a self-statement of initiatives and efforts in preserving human life and his attack on his political nemesis as threats to the preservation of the value and dignity of life. Relational processes have constructed life-protection ideas by valuing the significance of the children and the unborn.  Trump’s feelings toward the dignity of life are shaped by mental processes by his direct association to the public as among the advocates of human life.  Ironically, transitivity processes have shown minimal involvement of women in his speech, contrary to the theme. Data prove that language employed in a public discourse builds power and ideologies that serve as the human framework to understand the mind of the speaker