Analyzing Modality in President Jokowi's 78th Anniversary State Speech at the Indonesian Parliament Building

Abstract

This article is aimed at analyzing the linguistic modality employed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in a state speech on the occasion of the 78 th Anniversary of the Republic Indonesia delivered at Indonesian Parliament Building. It specifically investigates the use of epistemic, deontic, and dynamic modality to unpack the nuances in Jokowi's language use and its political implications. The study reveals the ways in which Jokowi positions his language that are designed to shape particular images of Indonesians as imagined by the audience, his future vision for Indonesia: managing claims to certainty, obligation and possibility. This discourse-analysis also shows how the President uses these modes to emphasize common threads such as national unity, economy expansion, and national building. By conducting a systematic analysis of the rhetorical feature of Jokowi's speech, this article is expected to enlighten how Jokowi employs his communication forms in such a way that he can speak for everyone whatever sector or component they come from within Indonesia gives them both hope and aspiration.