This paper aim to ‎analysis ‎environmental speech given by Malaysian PM (Najib Tun Razak) during the U.N. ‎CLIMATE ‎CHANGE CONFERENCE 2009 in Copenhagen(cop15).

1. Roozbeh Kardooni,
PhD Candidate in Environment science , University Malaya
Sumiani Yusoff
Associate Professor, Department of Engineering, University Malaya
A Critical Discourse Analysis of
Malaysian PM’s speech in Copenhagen
5/3/2013 1
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University of Malaya Conference on Discourse and Society
(UMDS 2012)

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About Climate
change
Climate change and
Malaysia
Research Aim
Importance of
research
Discourse
Discourse
Analysis
Critical
Discourse
Analysis (CDA)
Analytical tool
Social Practice
genre
style
Assumptions
Ideology
modality
Speech act
Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Ideological view
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words
Analysis
Modality
Introduction
Literature
review
Conceptual basic Textual Analysis

3. About Climate
change
Climate change and
Malaysia
Research Aim
Importance of
research
Introduction
 Climate change is important area for
sustainable development and also is one of
the most considerate environmental threats of
this century.
• The impact of Climate changes if felt
everywhere such as agricultural,
Costal resources, energy, forestry, tourism
and water.
 Climate change will not affect the global
economy only, but will simply
reduce the welfare and quality of life.
 Although the impact of climate change will
threaten the bases of many of
the countries worldwide, most vulnerable are
the developing countries especially those are
mainly depended upon the agriculture and
forestry sector like Malaysia.
Note
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4. About Climate
change
Climate change and
Malaysia
Research Aim
Importance of
research
Introduction
•
 Malaysia ranked 52 in the 2009 Climate Change
Performance Index (Malaysian ranks in 2012 is 49).
 Increase in average temperatures as a result of global
warming is of concern for Malaysia
The CO2 emissions (kt) in Malaysia
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5. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001
CO2 emissions, 1971 = 1
Brunei
Indonesia
Malaysia
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam
China
India
Japan
USA
OECD Europe
Figure 1. CO2 emissions from fuel combustion in the ASEAN countries and in some reference
countries 1971-2005, 1971=1. Source: IEA 2007a.
CO2 emissions in the ASEAN countries, 1971-2005

6. About Climate
change
Climate change and
Malaysia
Research Aim
Importance of
research
Introduction
• This paper aim to analysis environmental
speech given by Malaysian PM (Najib Tun
Razak) during the
U.N. CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
2009 in Copenhagen(cop15).
• Following the objective of this
paper, by applying critical discourse
analysis the language Najib used in
this speech is critically
analyzed, described and interpreted
in the context of his attempt to give a
proposal for addressing climate
change issues especially in Malaysia.
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7. About Climate
change
Climate change and
Malaysia
Research Aim
Importance of
research
Introduction
 Understanding Malaysian approach about
climate change
 Get familiar with the developing countries
concern in process of addressing climate
change
• Importance of COP15 : The Copenhagen
Climate Change Conference raised climate
change policy to the highest political level.
According to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-
moon participating of More than 130 heads
of state and government in this summit is
“Clear proof that climate change has risen to
the top of the global agenda”.
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8. Discourse
Discourse Analysis
Critical Discourse
Analysis (CDA)
Review of
Literature
• Discourse encompasses the meaning of a text
as the producer intended it, and the meaning
as the receiver reconstructed it.
• Discourse is a broad term with many a
definition, which “integrates a whole palette
of meanings” (Wodak, Titscher, Meyer, & Vetter, 1998).
 “Discourse refers to the whole process of
social interaction of which a text is just a
part” (Fairclough 1989: 24),
 discourse also can be used more precisely as
different ways of responding aspects of
the world(Fairclough, 2003a)
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9. Discourse
Discourse Analysis
Critical Discourse
Analysis (CDA)
Review of
Literature
 Discourse analysis is a new, interdisciplinary field of study
that has emerged from several other disciplines
 (T.A. Van Dijk & studies, 1988) explain five important aspects of
discourse analysis as fallow:
1-Discourse analysis is no longer the concern of a single
discipline.
2-both text and context is the actual field of discourse analytical
description and theory formation.
3-After the initial interest in fixed and written types of text, we
have witnessed increasing attention for spoken, dialogical types
of talk in a variety of social situations, primarily informal,
everyday conversation.
4-The earlier emphasis on only a few discourse genres, such as
talk and stories, now becomes broadened to many other
discourse genres, such as law, official discourse, textbooks,
interviews, advertising, and news discourse.
5-The theoretical framework has been enriched with new
developments in formal grammars, logic, and computer-
simulated programs .
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10. Discourse
Discourse Analysis
Critical Discourse
Analysis (CDA)
Review of
Literature
 Critical discourse analysis starts from the view that
messages in language, whether written or spoken, are
ideological and may be used as tools for social control
or domination of some groups by others (Sigauke, 2011).
• “The CDA as a network of scholars emerged in the early
1990s, following a small symposium in Amsterdam, in
January 1991.Through the support of the University
of Amsterdam, Teun van Dijk, Norman Fairclough,
Gunther Kress, Theo van Leeuwen and Ruth Wodak
spent two days together, and had the wonderful
opportunity to discuss theories and methods
of Discourse Analysis, specifically CDA”
• The object of CDA is public speech, such as
advertisement,newspaper, political propagandas, offici
al documents, laws and regulations and so on. Its aim is
to explore the relationships among language ideology
and power(Wang, 2010)
 CDA objective is to perceive language use as social
practice.
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11. Discourse
Discourse Analysis
Critical Discourse
Analysis (CDA)
Review of
Literature
Fairclough summarize the main tenets of CDA as follows:
1. CDA addresses social problems,
2. Power relations are discursive,
3. Discourse constitutes society and culture,
4. Discourse does ideological work,
5. Discourse is historical,
6.The link between text and society is
mediated,
7.Discourse analysis is interpretative and
explanatory,
8. Discourse is a form of social action
Fairclough
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12. Analytical tool
Social Practice
genre
style
assumptions
Ideology
modality
Conceptual
basis For this research Conceptual basis is adapted
from Norman Fairclough’s ideas on
critical discourse analysis
Fairclough
• Three dimensional method of discourse
analysis”, introduced by Norman Fairclough in
language and power (2001) :
• 1. Description is the stage which is concerned with the
formal properties of the text.
• 2. Interpretation is concerned with the relationship
between text and interaction – with seeing the text as a
product of a process of production, and as a resource in
the process of interpretation…
• 3. Explanation is concerned with the relationship
between interaction and social context – with the social
determination of the processes of production and
interpretation, and their social effects
 Textual analysis manifesto introduce by him in other
Analyzing Discourse (2003).
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13. Analytical tool
Social Practice
genre
style
assumptions
Ideology
modality
Speech act
Conceptual
basic
Fairclough
We attempt to link social practice and linguistic practice, as
well as micro and macro analysis of discourse
Social practice as a practice
of production involve
forms of work identification
representations
of the social
world
Social practice brings together different elements of life
(physical
elements, sociological elements, cultural/psychological
elements, and text), Into a specific local relationship
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14. Analytical tool
Social Practice
genre
style
assumptions
Ideology
modality
Speech act
Conceptual
basic
Fairclough
Genre
way of acting in its discourse aspect (Fairclough, 2003b) ,the
question of genre is the question of how texts figure (in
relation to other moments) within work, the production of
social life, and therefore within the social interaction that
constitutes work
Style
particular ways of being , particular social or personal
identities (Fairclough, 2003a),The question of styles is the
question of how text figures (in relation to other moments)
in the identification of people involved in the practice (the
construction of identities for them, and differences between
them)(Fairclough, 2000).
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15. Analytical tool
Social Practice
genre
style
Assumption
Ideology
modality
Speech act
Conceptual
basic
Fairclough
Assumption :
The implicit meaning of text .( A number of other terms are
used in the literature of pragmatics and semantics like
presupposition, entailment ,)
Three kind :
1- existential : assumption about what exist
2- propositional : assumption about what is or can be or will
be the case
3- Value : assumption about what is good or desirable
Ideology :
Representation of aspects of the world which
contribute to establishing and maintaining relations of
power , domination , and exploitation .They me be
concern in way of interacting ( genre) , and include in
way of being ( style).
Analyzing of texts especially assumption is an
important aspect of ideological analysis
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16. Analytical tool
Social Practice
genre
style
Assumptions
Ideology
modality
Speech act
Conceptual
basic
Fairclough
Modality
The modality of clause or sentence is the relationship it sets
up between author and representations – what author
commit themselves to in terms of truth or necessity .
Two kind :
1- Expressive : Modality of truth and probabilities
2- Relational : Modality of necessity and obligation
speech acts
are a central aspect of pragmatics and can be characterized
by some items like: making a promise, threating, warning,
asking a question, giving an order, and so on.
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17. Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words Analysis
Modality
(p1-line1) I bring to you the voice of Malaysians
Textual
Analysis
Text
• introduce himself as massager of Malaysian
nation
• coming from democratic systems that is
based on a grass root
• uses inclusive we on behalf of himself and
Malaysia
Analysis
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18. Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words Analysis
Modality
(P2)… Malaysia believes that the science is sound and clear. However
like other developing countries, we are now grappling with how to
translate the need to control emissions into our economic
development system, plans and policies. The necessary adjustments
require massive changes in many sectors that affect the very fabric
of our economy.
Textual
Analysis
Text
1-Malaysia want to joint others countries for approaching
climate change challenge.
2-Malaysia needs a major institutional reform in his economic
sector for fallowing above intention.
3-Malaysia believes that science and technology for addressing
climate change is sound and belongs to developed countries.
Propositional assumptions
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19. Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words Analysis
Modality
(P 7 ) Another serious concern we have is the looming threat of trade
protection under the guise of addressing climate change. For Copenhagen to
succeed there must be a clear statement that developed countries shall not
take trade related measures such as carbon tariffs and border adjustment
measures against the products, services.
(P13 – line 66)The key to our future cooperation is to recognize, adopt and
work out the realization of the principle of fair shares to the atmospheric
space and resource.
(P14-line72) Any document that is placed into the process in a unilateral
manner will be counterproductive and risks the failure of Copenhagen. This
would be a catastrophe that our mother earth cans ill afford
Textual
Analysis
Text
1-The developing countries should be helped without any
trade related approach.
2-Najib concentrates on the importance of “fair shares to
the atmospheric space ”
3- Najib negatively outline his ideology about any process
with unilateral manner
Value assumption
19

20. Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words Analysis
Modality
it is only if these are accepted as part of
a integrated package that developing countries can agree to a global goal
of emission reduction
Textual
Analysis
Text
speech acts : are a central aspect of pragmatics and can be
characterized by some items like: making a promise, threating,
warning, asking a question, giving an order, and so on.
• Najib ‘warns’ that accepting global goal of emission
reduction depend on receiving support from developed
countries.
• Najib’s promise about 40% reductions in carbon dioxide
emission shows another part of his speech acts.
• This part of Najib’s discourse can be explained as
policy discourse that contributes to social change
Analysis
20

21. Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Ideological view
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words Analysis
Modality
Textual
Analysis
Note
• Since Najib’s speech is part this event , it can be said
that Najib discourse is part of international chain of
events that aim to address climate change
Analysis
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22. Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words
Analysis
Modality
Textual
Analysis
• 1- Najib on one hand is speaking on behalf of and as part
of developing countries and on the other hand he is
speaking as leader of Malaysia . Furthermore , Najib is
reporting the concern of Malaysia and other developing
countries in terms of addressing climate change . Thus , it
might be said that there is mixture of style : the speaker
as reporter and the speaker as protagonist .
• 2- Najib’s style in the speech characterize by :
• 2-1 modality
• 2-2 Vocabulary
Analysis
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23. Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Ideological view
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words
Analysis
Modality
Textual
Analysis
Genre
• Considering this explanation Najib’s speech in COP15
could be interpreted as governance genre. This
speech is a position of Malaysian governance about
climate and might be made for a purpose of record.
Analysis
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24. Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words Analysis
Modality
Textual
Analysis
Repeated word
Make distinguish between developed and developing
countries in term of having technology and financial
facilities .
Attempt to insist the necessity of transferring technology
and financial support from developed countries to
developing countries .
Analysis
Keyword Repeats
1.countries 23
2.climate 12
3.our 12
4.developed 10
5.developing 10
6.Malaysia 8
7.dollars 7
8.reduction 6
9. technology 4
10.finance 3
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25. Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Ideological view
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words Analysis
Modality
We
we have
we
Textual
Analysis
Text
• “inclusive” we that according to Fairclough (2001) ‘is of the reader
as well as the writer’
1-Inclusive ‘we’ on behalf of himself and Malaysia which Malaysia
or the government could both replace we.
2-Inclusive ‘we’ on behalf of himself and developing countries.
3-Inclusive ‘we’ on behalf of all participant and it is making an
implicit authority claim.
Analysis
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26. Citizen-centered
attitude
Assumption
Speech acts
Ideological view
Chain of events
Style
Genre
Key words Analysis
Modality
must
must
Textual
Analysis
Text
modality is to do with speaker authority and there
are two dimensions to modality: relational (if it is a matter of the
authority of one participant in relation to others) and expressive (if it is a
matter of the speaker or writer’s authority with respect to the truth) .
Considering Najib speech it can be assert that
Najib has been used relational modality that show the authority
and power relation to others.
Analysis
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27. Conclusion
• The speech analysis show that ,
• this text belong to international chain of network in
attempting tackle climate change challenge .
• Using inclusive ‘we’ in this speech have seen a sign of try
to show that there is no distinct between government and
people in Malaysia .
• In terms of modality the study assert that using relational
modality is evident in Najib’s discourse.
• There is mixture of style in Najib’s speech : reporter and
protagonist .
• Najib’s promise for reducing CO2 has explained as sign
of policy document in this text.
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28. Conclusion
• Decipher the ideological standpoint of Najib lead us to make fallowing
conclusion as well:
• 1- Unilateral manner process in addressing climate
change has been rejected by Najib.
• 2- The developing countries should be helped without
any trade related approach.
• 3- Necessity of transferring technology and financial
support from developed countries to developing countries
has to consider as high priority.
• 4- Although Malaysia takes his step for addressing
climate change, successfulness of this attempt depends on
receiving needed technology and financial support from
developed countries.
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Q&A