CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS AND SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR IN CLIMATE CHANGE SPEECHES: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Do Thi Phong Lan

doi:10.59266/houjs.2026.1139

Authors

Do Thi Phong Lan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59266/houjs.2026.1139

Keywords:

climate change speeches, Critical Discourse Analysis, ideology, power relations, systemic functional grammar, transitivity

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive literature review of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as conceptualized by Norman Fairclough and Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) by Michael Halliday, positioning them as complementary frameworks for analyzing speeches on climate change delivered by nations at COPs (Conferences of the Parties) of United Nations conventions. Drawing on mixed-methods approaches, the review explores key concepts, tenets, and applications of CDA and SFG, including transitivity analysis, intertextuality, and metafunctions. It critiques existing studies on climate change discourse and identifies gaps in assessing power relations and ideologies in national speeches. The synthesis highlights how these methodologies can reveal hidden ideologies, power dynamics, and representational strategies in discursive practices related to global environmental issues. Implications for future research in discourse studies and environmental linguistics are also discussed in the article.

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