An Analysis of Hedges and Boosters Types in Donald Trump's Presidential Speeches

Abstract

This study explores the types of hedges and boosters in Donald Trump‘s Presidential Speeches by using Hyland‘s Framework. The study aims to analyze the types of hedges and boosters in Donald Trump‘s presidential speeches. Qualitative approach is used in conducting this research followed by content analysis used to analyze all three speeches. The findings revealed that Donald Trump uses various types of hedges and boosters on his presidential speeches where boosters appear more often rather than hedges on his speeches, with certainty modals is the most used boosters type and modal auxiliary verb as the most used hedges type. These findings show that Trump's speech style emphasizes aggressiveness and confidence, mirroring his persuasive and powerful political character. Overall, this study advances our understanding of stance-taking and persuasive methods in political language, particularly in the context of presidential communication.