Open AccessTHE GENERIC STRUCTURE OF THE THAI PRIME MINISTER'S WEEKLY ADDRESS
Author(s) -
Narongdej Phanthaphoommee
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
indonesian journal of applied linguistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.283
H-Index - 9
eISSN - 2502-6747
pISSN - 2301-9468
DOI - 10.17509/ijal.v11i1.34662
Subject(s) - prime minister , politics , interpretation (philosophy) , prime (order theory) , nationalism , perspective (graphical) , prime time , sociology , administration (probate law) , political science , media studies , public administration , law , linguistics , art , mathematics , philosophy , visual arts , combinatorics
This study examines how the weekly Thai prime ministerial address constitutes as a genre and explains its implications against the Thai socio-political backdrop. Drawing on data derived from Thaksin Shinawatra’s, Abhisit Vejjajiva’s, Yingluck Shinawatra’s and Prayut Chan-o-cha’s weekly addresses, the study applies an integrated model of genre analysis based on Systemic Functional Linguistic perspective. The findings reveal that although the format of the Thai weekly address is emulated that of the US president’s, this unidirectional, weekly televised communication differs from other world leader’s addresses. Following an interpretation of the findings, the paper argues that the weekly address has become ritualised in Thai politics since almost all post-Thaksin prime ministers have employed this political marketing strategy to justify their rule and promote their administration’s performance in such a way as to embody the ‘senior-cum-leader’ trait that has become a major Thai tenet. The generic structure of the show is loosely organised around a long-running time slot and imbued with a strong sense of positivity and glorification of the century-long concept of Thai nationalism.