Critical Discourse Analysis of a Reading Text Pakistan and the Modern Worldd: A Speech by Liaquat Ali Khan

What is it about?

This paper presents some key concepts in studying and analyzing the aspects of communication critically. It has always been crucial and a complex phenomenon for the experts in the field of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to decode and deduce the meaning of a text through context. They examine and attribute language as a social process involving context to determine the meaning of an utterance to its producer and receiver. It has also been of great interest and enthusiasm for discourse analysts to explore and identify the underlying objective of meaning carrying an ideological message based on religious, sociopolitical, and historical assumptions. The discourse practitioners are seriously occupied with critical studies on revealing social inequality, power relations, and dominance operated through language (Wodak, 2001a). Critical studies have actively pursued such discursive practices of power dominance, the imposition of an ideology, and discrimination through text and talk. There have been important insights on sociopolitical and historical discourse serving the purpose at (macro and micro) levels of analysis (van Dijk, 1993). It suggests the use of conversation analysis, narrative analysis, rhetoric/stylistics, and media analysis. The underlying approach may be used to analyze the discourse of speeches delivered by renowned politicians, parliamentarians, and national leaders. Following van Dijk (1993) approach/model, this study aims to analyze a political speech, titled as ‘Pakistan and the Modern World’ made by the first Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan at the University of Kansas, United States of America.

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Why is it important?

This study followed van Dijk’s (1993) socio-cognitive model to highlight the important aspects of discourse production and comprehension. He collectively considers discourse as a matter of mental representation of knowledge and overall experience of the world forming a belief, attitude, and ideology. He also calls it as an abstract depiction of mind or a personal and social cognition based on participants’ observation and interaction with the world phenomenon. van Dijk attaches importance to the role of context in developing, framing, organizing, and understanding the appropriate meaning of discourse. Its underlying objective in the construction of an ideology is completely based on sociocultural and political context. A large number of such political and rhetorical discourses have implications on producing wrong agenda to influence their audience (1993, p. 257).

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