Critical discourse analysis is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of discourse which is to perceive language use as social practice. It has become a well-established filed in the social science since 1980s. Sometimes it defined as the analysis of language 'beyond the sentence'. There are four key elements of discourses analysis, which are register, field, mode and tenor. First, the definition of register is "the configuration of semantic resources that the member of culture associates with a situation type. It is meaning potential that accessible in a given social context" (Martin, 1992, p. 495). Second, which is field. Field is the social action. It means what's actually happening, which refers to what's actually happening that the one taking place to the nature of social behaviour; what is the content of the participants take part in, in those language which are figures as some basic factors. (Martin, 1992, p.499). Third, it is mode. Mode is what channel are playing, which is like what type of language are they using and what type of language that the participants are looking forward to do for them while in the situation: the symbolic organisation of the text, the status that it got and in the context of its function, including the channel, also the rhetorical mode, what is being achieved by the text in terms of such categories as persuasive, expository, didactic and the rhetorical mode (Martin, 1992, p.500). The last key element is tenor, tenor is the structure of role. It means who is taking the part to the nature of the related people, their statuses and roles: what kinds of role relationship obtain among to the participants, including the permanent and temporary relationships, either one of them or another, both types of the speech role that they are taking on the dialogue and the whole cluster of socially significant relationships in which they are relevant (Martin, 1992, p.499-500).
According to the Lloyds banking António Horta-Osório speech, the four elements will be used to analyse the speech. First, the element is going to analysis with the speech is register. Register is which kind of language is being used, such as scientific, fact-based or another. This is made by the speakers that refers to the situation of the context, the conversation of the participants and the function of the language in the context. But based on the context, they are using a speech to present, so they don't have the conversation with the participants. In the speech, the chief executive concludes the trust is very important. With respect to trust that the chief executive mention there were no strong economies without healthy banks and healthy banks requires strong economies. So if there are no trust between, the bank will not manage well. In addition, transparency is another critical factor. Because can avoid the money laundering by displaying every individual current account and their account switching processes. Additionally, the behavioural standard should be strengthened among of the employees. The bank should focus on the customers, meritocracy in managing the business.
The next elements are field. By lending to the SMEs, it would boost up the UK economy, led to continuable development and positive social wellbeing of the country. From the chief executive speech, which tell about the past year, their net are is lending to the SMEs (small and medium size enterprise), which increased by 4% whilst the market shrunk by 4% under the National Loan Guarantee Scheme.
Third, the element is mode. Mode is the textual macrofunstion of a text, that referred to the type of channel that the speaker selected to communicate with. For example, telephone, video and television…etc. The chief executive of Lloyds banking delivers the message is using a discourse during the CBI Scotland annual dinner 2012. There are three tools have been used in the speech are using statistic which is about the SMEs, the quotes by famous people and to separate the retail and investment banking through a ring fence but allows them to co-exist under the same universal banking group umbrella. To make the discourse be more persuasion statistics need to be used. Therefore, the chief executive tells about the reason why they are focused on lending to SMEs, because in the past year, their net lending to SMEs increased by 4% whilst the market shrunk by 4 % under the National Loan Guarantee. The chief executive is using statistics to make the discourse to be more persuasion to the audience. The next tools are the quotes that the chief executive have said in the speech is from the late moral philosopher Philippa Foot "one shouldn't think that morality must pass the test of rationality, but that rationality must pass the test of morality." This sentence explains the task they are facing in this industry. Which they can sure the employees maintain the highest ethical standards, be trained with regularity, also acquire enough incentivised. Moreover, Retail and investment banking have to be separate through the ring fence, but they are accepting to be in the same universal banking group umbrella. If the Lloyds banking have separate the retail and investment banking, they won't easily have affected by others, because retail and commercial banks are culturally different from the investment banks. Also, it requires higher capital, better resolution mechanisms, supervisory and recovery, it will make the risk out. By using a discourse in the annual dinner, which can let his speech to be efficacy and trusty.
The last elements of discourse analysis is tenor. The chief executive is polite to the audience and didn't not use technical language in the speech. The speaker did refer to himself and express explicitly views indicating his opinion. Such as the speaker said he represent the bank that they are the first bank to break the ranks and giving compensation to provide certainly for customers to those mis-sold PPI. Also, he said that he's convinced that bank should become a ring-fenced bank and the ahead of the current 2019 deadline. The speaker did not show himself as an expert in the field. For example, he presents that they are committed to cleaning up our legacy issues and to minimising errors in the future. Furthermore, he said that they are not perfect, they have further improvement and not good enough previously, so in the future they need to minimise the error they have before in the future. The speaker seems to be familiar with the audience, because the speaker considers the long-term benefits in sustainable development and stand in the customers point of view. The language of the chief executive used understandable and did not use technical terms that the audience may not clarify. The flow of the context is quite simple to be follow for the audience. Although the speaker has lack of communication towards to the audience, but the speaker did not see the audience at a lower level that the speaker see them as the same level. The content is almost truth with some of the personal view, because the same principle may not work for other banks. In the view of customers, they might think the Lloyds bank can be better with the services or products. The audience have choice to believe or not to believe the content that the speaker present. The speaker has set the goal for the future and persuade the other companies to be ethical and conscientious. The speaker has blame hidden massage, which is talking about the other companies bad. The speaker said he believe that many banks lost sight of their core values and became complacent, non-customer-focused and inefficient.
Dear Antonio,
Hope you're doing well. We are the frontline staff of Lloyds bank, and I wanted to share about the banking's approach of change from our employee's perspectives with you that could benefit about of our companies.
As you have said that we have to put the thing right, the case that we did the Payment Protection Insurance, PPI. We are the first banks who breaks the ranks and because of those mis-sold PPI, provide certain compensation to the customers. We know this decision is very expensive, but we think this is the right way to do that. In this case, because the employees have to reach the sales target, so the employees sell the product which the customers are not needed, which make the bank have to compensation to the customers. We hope you could focus more on the employees, not just only sales target. Because if you only focus on the sales target, this will only help for short term profits but not sustainable in long term. Yet, you should focus more on the banks culture rather than profit because the relationship between the employees is important. This can prevent not to happen again.
Moreover, the Independent Commission on Banking led. By Sir John Vickers have hardily suggested a proposal, which is to separate the retail and investment banking, but permit both of them co-exist under the same universal banking group umbrella. We agree with this proposal because the cultural of retail and commercial banks are very different from investment bank. Also, it not really the conflict of interest, because it based on the risk control. The Glass-Steagall Act is formally known since 1993, there is the economic crisis in 1929 in United States. At that time, the banks are mixed together to manage, so the commercial and investment banks are not separated to run in the same institution. The result shows out that was high risk led in to bubble, after it collapsed in becomes a very serious impact. In this situation, which suggested to propose the investment bank should be run independent from the large bank. The original mixed operation which is the commercial and investment banks have to change, become a separate operation which can help to reduce the risks from it. After all, the people who have bought and sold the stocks is much less than the deposits and loans. We agree with the proposal you have suggested, because this could help to reduce the risks for the bank and gain more customers confident, it build up the good relationship with customers.
In the speech, you just mentioned be a trusted and healthy bank in this industry, we hope you can honour your commitment. We hope we can coordinate well together in the future. Look forward to our prospect.
Best regards,
Employees of Lloyds bank