LANGUAGE, POWER, AND ADVOCACY: AN SFL ANALYSIS OF FRANCESCA P. ALBANESE’S SPEECH ON PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17918196Keywords:
Power, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Ideational, Transitivity, Interpersonal, TextualAbstract
This study examines how power relations, moral responsibility, and advocacy are linguistically constructed in Francesca P. Albanese’s public speech “End the Genocide,” delivered on November 7, 2024, at the United Nations Headquarters. Drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), particularly the frameworks developed by Halliday and by Martin and White (2005), the speech is segmented into 98 clauses and analyzed through its transitivity patterns, participant roles, interpersonal meanings, and evaluative language. Findings indicate a clear dominance of material processes (41.8%), which construct Israel as an active perpetrator and Palestinians as affected participants, while positioning the international community as a capable and morally accountable actor.
Interpersonal analysis highlights the strategic use of modality, imperatives, and direct address to generate urgency and construct an ethical obligation for intervention. Appraisal analysis further reveals strong negative evaluations of Israeli actions and affective alignment with Palestinian suffering, thereby reinforcing advocacy and moral appeal. The study concludes that Albanese employs linguistic choices deliberately to frame the situation as genocide and to mobilize global engagement. Overall, the study contributes to research on political discourse, human rights communication, and SFL-based analyses of conflict rhetoric.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Zubair Khan, Dr. Kamran Ali, Muhammad Waseem (Author)
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