Pronoun shifts in political discourse The English translations of the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s statements on the international stage
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Issued Date
2024-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
05219744
eISSN
15699668
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85189886004
Journal Title
Babel
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Babel (2024)
Suggested Citation
Phanthaphoommee N., Munday J. Pronoun shifts in political discourse The English translations of the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s statements on the international stage. Babel (2024). doi:10.1075/babel.00388.pha Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/97990
Title
Pronoun shifts in political discourse The English translations of the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s statements on the international stage
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Author's Affiliation
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Abstract
This article examines the English translations of former Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s statements on the international stage and the shifts in the first-person pronoun. Looking at interpersonal positioning through a systemic functional linguistic lens, we found that the translations underline the explicitness of agency, highlighting the variation of stylistic choices and interplay with source-text politics. The shifts come with a modified degree of willingness, a more active agency, an increase in the modality of inclination, and more force in attitude. These interpersonal overtones largely contribute to recasting the image of the Thai government to ensure its legitimacy, promote national unity, and appeal to the international community. These crafted translated texts seem to hone the leader’s public persona in front of global audiences by continuing to enhance the country’s reputation, thereby maintaining the speaker’s dignity and prestige–an essential for the national leader’s image.