Using Transitivity Analysis on Joe Biden Press Conference After Meeting with Putin

Analysing Language in Workplace, Media and Society
Name
Institution
Due Date
Analysing Language in Workplace, Media and Society
Using Transitivity Analysis on Joe Biden Press Conference After Meeting with Putin
Introduction
Currently, the international condition between U.S. and Russia has been so tight that many inevitable issues arise. I select a news article in The Economist. This four-hour meeting is meaningful because it shows that North America and Russia need assistance from each other to reach a condition when both of them will be beneficial in terms of their own profit. Even though the Chinese president did not attend the meeting, China still seems to stay at the forefront of the discussion topic.
The application of speech helps clarify the speaker’s opinion on the current affairs issues. Speech is applicable formulating humanity issues alongside formal occasions. For instance, it is applicable in persuasion where human beings are requested to treat their environment with respect. The conversation between Biden and Putin delivered what was in their mind, their thinking on world issues such as the war in Iran and global climate and agreeing on how to deal with the happenings. Language can influence beliefs, thought patterns as well as attitudes. The meeting between the two world leaders and the delivery of their messages served strong purposes. The surge over the efficacy of the superpower policies extends broadly to the two country’s involvement in Iran and war in Syria.
Generally, Biden’s views could be categorized as language in context, which in most cases is referred to as discourse. In this case, the analysis focuses on text and encompasses the place, situation, and time context within which the text is produced. Biden uses the power of language to change the perception of China and Russia, establishing the fact that the relations between North America and Europe, including other economies of the world, is still close. The language in discourse reflects the society’s condition and reveals the happenings globally, which eventually reflects society’s beliefs.
Therefore, the struggles between the superpowers are chosen in this study owing to the key position and role that they play when it comes to global climate and security. Biden, as a principal, plays an important role in advancing humanity since he speaks for the interest of the various democracies across the world.
Problem
This study focuses on answering various questions as given below:
* What are some of the transitivity processes applicable in the chosen text?
* To what extent does the use of transitivity processes expose the experiences and stance of the world democracies?
Study objectives
The study discusses transitivity issues as portrayed in the language applicable by Biden in the summit meeting. The first objective is to identify the various types of transitivity processes as applicable in Biden’s language of speech. Secondly, to relate how the transitivity processes expose the leaders’ experiences and desire for a better world.
Literature Review
Isti’anah (2014), in his study entitled “Transitivity Analysis in Four Selected Opinions about Jakarta Governor Election,” focused on the role of process as well as participant in constructing their opinions concerning elections in words. The study applies the use of Critical Discourse Analysis (C.D.A.) alongside transitivity analysis. The results of the research found out that approximately 58 percent of the material process reveals what is expected from the leader. The measures included Actor-Goal, Affected alongside Goal Recipient respondents. In this case, 30 percent of the data that represents the relational process attaches Jakarta to its label as reflected by Carrier-Attribute. The verbal process represents 7.5 percent revealing the candidate’s promises upon winning just by appearance.
Further, mental process accounts for 5%, revealing Jakarta as the Senser. The people’s expectations are always revealed by the circumstances surrounding the purpose during the election. However, the difference between this study with that of Isti’anah is that she obtains her data from Newspaper.
The studies by Chalimah et al. (2018) focused on Experiential Meaning. The study focused on the identification of the various linguistic process applicable by the speaker in their speech. The first rank of the speech reveals the various activities of the material process alongside the achievement, with the second rank being a relational process that provides positive characteristics as well as identification for various Asian countries. The third rank is the mental alongside behavioral processes that focus on people’s feelings and urges through words on peace in Asia. The author discusses the attempt by the speaker to apply material rather than other processes owing to the nature of attention towards activities and achievement besides expressing feelings and peaceful coexistence. The differences occur because Chalimah uses a translated version of the speech while this study applies original English speech.
Daulay & Harida (2020), in their research study, uses two research questions; first on the impact of transitivity discourse as constructed by Bill Gates’s speech in 2014: second involves the different ways in which the field of discourse is constructed in the speech. The study applies the use of transitivity as the tool of analysis. The results revealed that Bill applies more mental cognition processes (18.43%) as opposed to his wife Melinda, who used the process of mental affection (10.3%). The overall representation reveals Bill as a thinker while Melinda empathizes with issues.
Further, Harwiyati & Siagianto’s (2016) study on the Transitivity system on Joko Widodo’s Speech in China, 2014, identifies the various types of transitivity as applicable in the speech. The results found some relational aspects in the transitivity process. The relations cut across mental, verbal, behavioral as well as existential aspects. Similarly, the current study portrays some concepts as applied in the previous studies concerning the use of transitivity analysis. The reason is that this study tends to explain the existing pattern of transitivity as seen in the speech alongside the function of the transitivity pattern involved as reflected in the three studies above.
Theoretical framework
There are different theories applicable in the analysis of the transitivity process. However, this study utilizes discourse analysis, systemic functional linguistics, transitivity analysis, and speech.
Discourse Analysis theory
This refers to the study of language-in-use (Gee & Hayes, 2011). Discourse points to the analysis of the situational context of a language application that entails interaction between reader, writer alongside the text. In this case, there are always issues with individuals matching the language they speak with the situation. The case involves interactions across the readers, writers, text, and context. Discourse analysis appears in two forms: form-function analysis focusing on the existing relationship between structure and the language function and context. The key issue is the interaction between language and context. Form-function analysis portrays the analysis of language components such as different phrases used, clauses, parts of speech, and how they relate to creating meaning. The analysis of the discourse requires the identification of the speaker and the audience, the environment, and the place of speech delivery. Relating time as well as the place that relates to the event where speech is delivered is key (Gee & Hayes, 2011).
Admittedly, the analysis of the language context considers various aspects such as material settings, the nature of the speaker, gender, cultural background, and institutional issues (Daulay & Harida, 2020). This makes it important for the discourse analysis to consider the speaker, the audience the environment where speech is delivered, among other factors. Gee & Hayes (2011) focus on the fact that people always build seven building tasks that entail the need for significance, activities, relationships, politics, and connection with systems, and use of language.
Transitivity Analysis model
Transitivity refers to a grammatical system s identified in a clause resulting from human experience. According to Halliday, the transitivity system entails conditioning the world of experience into manageable processes forming part of the ideational meaning. The transitivity system comprises three elements: process, participants, and circumstance. From the perspective of Halliday and Matthiessen (2004), the various clauses on different process types result in distinctive contributions towards the in-text wealth of experience. In such a case, the process refers to the action part of the discourse. On the other hand, participants perform the process as well as attend to the circumstance. In this scenario, the circumstance is applicable to refer to timing, place, contingency, degree, modality, the process evidence, role matter, amongst others. Further, the circumstance of evidence focuses on the source of information expressed verbally. Consequently, process intransitivity is expressed in different types such as material, mental, relational, verbal, behavioral, and existential.
Firstly, the material process as a component of the transitivity system refers to the process of doing. The process describes the interrelationship between actions on entities. In this case, emphasis is laid on the actions and the doers depending on the outer experiences. The process encompasses such participants as agent, process, and goal.
Secondly, the mental process refers to the act of sensing and symbolizing the presence of a participant who is human and has consciousness. The various participants that symbolize mental processes entail the sensor, process, and phenomenon. Halliday (2013) recognizes three types of mental processes that include the sense of perception, affection, and cognition.
Thirdly, as indicated by Halliday and Matthiessen, relational process refers to the aspect of ‘being’ considering the various types of relational process, which is attributive, identifying, and possessive. First, attributive involves the labelling of quality to an entity referred to as “Carrier.” Secondly, the aspect of identifying refers to the identification of an entity referred to as “Identified.” The clause used for identifying is usually reversible. Thirdly, possessive defines the aspect of ownership on entities. There is the “Possessor” and the “Possessed”.
Fourthly, the verbal process refers to the art of saying with participants categorized as Sayer, Receiver, Verbiage, and Target. First, the “Sayer” refers to the entity doing the action of speaking. Secondly, the “Receiver” is the recipient of the message, and the “Verbiage” represents the content of the saying, with the “Target” being the target phenomenon along the process of saying (Halliday, 2013).
Finally, the behavioral process refers to the various physiological as well as psychological behavior, which entails the art of breathing, dreaming, smiling, amongst others. Then the existential process identifies the existence of an event or a process. The process uses various verbs such as but not limited to “be,” “exist”, “arise” and “happening.” Similarly, the existential process entails a circumstance of time or place with the one that exists referred to as “existent.” Finally, speech refers to the expression of a speaker to the audience through thoughts as well as opinions (Halliday, 2013).
Systemic Functional Linguistics (S.F.L.) theory
The S.F.L. theory developed by Michael Halliday focuses on language functions (Gebhard, 2010). In this case, linguistics relates to grammar owing to the fact that while linguistic studies language, grammar focuses on the organization of the language. Halliday asserts that grammar refers to a system that depends on a grammatical structure capable of describing a set of options. In this case, the combination of grammar and lexis is referred to as “lexicogrammar,” which is a system of how words are expressed and representation of the linguistic resource applicable in developing meaning by use of words and structures (Cahyono, 2018). Notably, lexicogrammar comprises interpersonal, textual, construes, and ideational meanings that link to the word groups, clauses, and discourse. The ideational inclines towards using the language to encode the world experience alongside providing reality pictures. Such clauses are applicable in representing experiences. For instance, using some words such as create, develop or build represents an experience of hard work through more actions (Cahyono, 2018). Consequently, the interpersonal concept requires that language be applicable in encoding interaction with others. Such refers to the building g of the relations between the hearer and the speaker (Harman, 2018).
Methodology
The methodology of this study focuses on sections such as object of study, approach, and finally, the methods of study. The object of the study provides a description of the intended data, inclusive of the linguistic element being used. Then the approach entails discussion of the approach as applied to the study. Ultimately, the method helps in narrating the means through which data was collected and analyzed.
Object of the study
The study utilized opinions and speech from the summit meeting between Biden and Putin entitled “Joe Biden’s Summit with its counterparts.” The summit involves some of the World’s superpower economies and entails making key decisions that influence the world’s security, economy, and climatic change (The economist, 2021). The researcher obtained the text from the website /blog/transcripts/joe-biden-press-conference-transcript-after-meeting-with-putin . The report was accessed on 26th November 2021 from the economist website. The website provides various reports concerning world news on the economic and climatic fronts, including global security issues that ultimately influence the economy.
Study Approach
The Discourse Analysis (DA) was applicable as the approach to the study to help identify the experiences of the regions represented by the two leaders. The various country or regional experiences is construed within a discourse achievable through transitivity as the grammatical system. The aspect of revealing the leader’s experiences demanded that the researcher scrutinize the leader’s speech within context. Such an approach suits the study since it helps the researcher to consider the non-linguistic context of the given discourse. This made the researcher focus on the various activities that accompany the summit, such as the speech by the two leaders, the audience, the time, and the meeting place. The approach made it easier for the researcher to relate various linguistic as well as the non-linguistic context of the Biden comments. Thus, it reveals an existing correlation between the text and real conditions concerning world security pertaining to Iran and Syria, changing climate, and democracy (Harman, 2018).
Study method
The study method entailed data collection, analysis, and interpretation. In this case, data collection entails retrieving relevant themes and classification with data analysis focusing on the answer to problem formulations.
Analysis
The summit report was retrieved from the website concerning data collection /blog/transcripts/joe-biden-press-conference-transcript-after-meeting-with-putin . The data comprised of the various clauses that contained transitivity processes as applicable in President Joe Biden’s speech, whereby the researcher could easily identify 17 major clauses (see Appendix I), the clauses are bolded. The 17 clauses were chosen since they provide best fit for the content and analysis on this research study. The type of data collection procedure could be associated with purposive sampling. In this case, the researcher selected specific participants knowledgeable on the issue under discussion, with respondents taken from the target population (Stephanie, 2015). The various experiences that could reveal Biden’s experiences as a world leader were purposively chosen. The sample data entailed various clauses containing transitivity showing Biden’s experiences representing world democracies. The clauses were included under various conditions. First, consideration of the participant, Biden, Putin, China, and other World democracies such as European nations. Secondly, the process taken by the leaders was also key. Thirdly, the processes led to occurrences on world insecurity issues, climate change, and lack of democratic space in some regions (Halliday, 2013).
The data was obtained by the researcher from the report on the economist website, then read to comprehend as well as understand the meaning. Such text was considered as a discourse. Then the focus was shifted to various clauses containing transitivity revealing Biden’s concerns towards world events and facts that occurred in the past. The various happenings in the report were identified, connecting it with the Leader’s experiences as presented from the world view (Halliday, 2013). The Analytical framework, of course, was based on Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics. Because language variations are closely related to S.F.L. and are highly influential to S.F.L., especially in the area of syntactic differences, one can definitely ...