The Linguistic Strategies of Motivational Speakers in Shaping Human Development

Abstract

The paper contains a discourse analysis of the language strategies used by motivational speakers in order to influence and shape perceptions of human development. Beyond the psychological or self-help approach, this paper takes a linguistic approach to unravel the way language is used as a major instrument of writing the stories of personal change. Using a qualitative comparison of a curated collection of popular inspirational speeches, this study identifies and discusses the presence of frequent linguistic formulas within three major areas, including (1) lexical and semantic, including the use of empowering language, contrastive pairs (e.g., "failure" vs. "success"), and the use of strategic vagueness; (2) syntax, including the use of imperative mood, agentless formations, and future-oriented modals to order the action and make the project look possible; and (3) pragmatic and rhetoric. The results demonstrate that motivational speakers do not just tell about development but also act it out through the discourse, creating a new identity with the audience and modeling a model of a journey struggle to success. This paper will posit that motivational speaking is effective because it uses these linguistic strategies effectively combined in order to evoke a decreased cognitive dissonance, the feeling of agency, and, finally, the engagement of the audience in adopting a new story about their own lives. The paper concludes that genre of motivational speaking is a special and potent type of persuasive speech, the language mechanics of which are the focus of its influence on the listeners of the world.

Keywords: Discourse Analysis, Motivational Speaking, Persuasion, Linguistic Strategies, Pragmatics, Rhetoric, Personal Development, Performance