Abstract

This study aims to analyze Michelle Obama’s speech on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in 2016 using the appraisal system. The data were obtained from the internet using the document method. Qualitative and descriptive approaches were undertaken to achieve the desired objectives. The results show that Michelle applied all the positive judgment tools in her speech to show a positive attitude toward Hillary (i.e., 22% normality, 50% capacity, 9% tenacity, 7% veracity, and 10% propriety). Conversely, Michelle applied negative judgments in her speech (i.e., 12% normality, 12% capacity, and 75% propriety); thus, Michelle did not apply tenacity and veracity while implicitly referring to Donald Trump. Michelle demonstrates that she is a skilled public speaker who can articulate her point of view clearly and persuasively. Her words reveal her thoughts and feelings about the future of her country and the upcoming presidential election. In future studies, other discourse semantic systems should be considered to analyze Michelle Obama’s speeches.

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