REALIZATION OF INTERPERSONAL MEANING IN U.S PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S SPEECH AT VIETNAM CONVENTION CENTRE: A MOOD SYSTEM ANALYSIS

Abstract

This study investigated the interpersonal meaning which lies on the diplomatic speech delivered by Barack Obama at Vietnam Convention Centre. The purposes of this study were to describe the construction of the interpersonal meaning of Obama’s speech and the contribution of this construction for interpreting his attitudes towards Vietnam. This study used qualitative approach as its main method and clause was chosen as the unit of analysis. The data for this study were analyzed using the MOOD system, including Mood element, Residue, and Mood types. Based on this analysis, it can be concluded that the interpersonal meaning in Obama’s speech was mainly realized through Mood types, modal auxiliary, subjects and tense shift. The dominant appearance of declarative clauses, the frequent employment of modals will, can, should and have to, the preference for the first person pronouns I and we in the speech means that Obama wanted to give information as much as possible to the audience, to shorten the distance between him (as the representative of the United States) and the audience as well as maintaining an equal, reliant relationship between them.