A Corpus-Based Analysis of the Language of Satyagraha in Selected Speeches by "Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King" | ||||
| هرمس | ||||
| Article 5, Volume 13, Issue 3 - Serial Number 49, July 2024, Page 41-74 PDF (765.05 K) | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/herms.2024.393357 | ||||
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| Author | ||||
| Mariam Arafa | ||||
| Assistant Lecturer - Faculty of Languages Modern Sciences and Arts University | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| More than six decades after Gandhi's assassination, his philosophy of nonviolence, encapsulated in the concept of Satyagraha, continues to resonate globally. Gandhi, credited with coining the term Satyagraha, based his philosophy on the ancient Sanskrit concept of ahimsa, integrating truth, nonviolence, and suffering as its core elements. King, profoundly inspired by Gandhi, adopted Satyagraha as a foundation for the Civil Rights Movement. This paper explores the lexical choices and semantic links in three selected speeches by each of Gandhi and King, employing a corpus-based analysis. The study employs the K-words corpus software tool, contrasting the speeches against the COCA corpus, to identify and categorize frequent words. The analysis focuses on the three main elements of Satyagraha: Truth, Nonviolence, and Suffering. Research questions addressed include identifying keywords in each speaker's speeches and determining the most frequent lexical choices in their discourse. In an era where nonviolence needs reframing to align with contemporary challenges, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how language, specifically in the speeches of Gandhi and King, played a pivotal role in advocating for justice, equality, and peaceful resistance. The analysis aimed to demonstrate how Gandhi and King incorporated Satyagraha in their speeches to advocate for their respective causes, revealing nuanced differences in their religious and cultural orientations. Results showed Gandhi's emphasis on universal religious terms and general expressions of suffering which suggests a global perspective on his cause, appealing to a broader audience. On the other hand, King's focus on specific details in suffering aligns with his advocacy for racial equality within the context of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. These findings underscore the adaptability of Satyagraha to diverse contexts, reflecting the leaders' strategic choices in language to advance their distinct social and political agendas. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Satyagraha; Ahimsa; Nonviolence; Corpus-based Analysis | ||||
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