Investigating the Language Patterns of Speeches of Sangguniang Kabataan Municipal Federation President: A Critical Discourse Analysis

The focus of the study is on language use by Sangguniang Kabataan Municipal Federation (SKMF) Presidents in their political speech in terms of how the use of language develops ideologies, influences civic discourse, and produces power relations regarding youth governance. The qualitative study follows a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework and examines 20 purposively sampled speeches by SKMF presidents from the municipalities of Asuncion, Kapalong, and Sto. Tomas is in Davao del Norte. The discourse analysis involved morphological, semantic, and discourse features to reveal thematic linguistic processes and ideologies. The analyses indicated a rich use of, e.g., affixation, compounding, acronyms, and semantic extensions thematic of commitment, development, and collective identity. The discourse has important implications for legitimizing political ideologies of inclusion, achievement, peace, and popular empowerment, and shows that language is often more than a means to relay policy but a power-laden way to develop sociopolitical realities and youth identity. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that SKMF presidents use language deliberately, not simply as an instrument of communication and persuasion, but as an instrument of social vision building and transformation. The SKMF president's discourse clearly indicated promising notions of transparency, participatory rhetoric, honesty, and people's participation that point to the value of language for democratic participation at community and grassroots levels.