A CORPUS-BASED STUDY OF QASIM ALI SHAH’S SPEECHES: A TRANSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Abstract

The present study aimed to study transitivity processes employed in Qasim Ali Shah’s motivational speeches. The study also aims to explore the purposes achieved from the employed transitivity processes. A mixed-method approach, both quantitative and qualitative, was employed to explore and analyze transitivity processes utilized in Qasim Ali Shah’s motivational speeches. For this study, selected speeches were obtained from the YouTube channel of Qasim Ali Shah. Selected speeches were translated into English from the Urdu language. Speeches were transcribed, and Corpus Linguistics was used as a tool to find the frequencies of certain words through AntConc 3.5.9 software. Halliday’s model of transitivity has been used as a theoretical framework as well as an analytical framework to study the selected speeches. In the present research study, 25 clauses selected from Qasim Ali Shah’s speeches have been analyzed. After rigorous examination, the study found 212 process types in the speeches. The most intriguing finding is that relational and material processes have been employed dominantly in motivational speeches. It is surprising given the fact that verbal and behavioral processes have been used very infrequently. This study mainly puts forward the notion that transitivity processes play a distinct role in the motivational speeches of Qasim Ali Shah in persuading, convincing, and motivating the public regarding their ideologies and commitments.