Abstract: This thesis relates public speech and identity construction to analyze the discourse features of female public speakers. By focusing on TED talks chosen from fields of education, medical treatment and economy respectively, the analysis at lexical-grammatical level shows that the application of some identity-oriented personal pronouns and certain adjectives and adverbs can help establish speaker’s desired identity. The analysis at discourse level shows that female speaker’s identities can be constructed more easily through specific instances. Besides, the female speakers construct their identities by recognizing and asserting who she is, illustrating and comparing with others’ words and attitudes, and distinguishing with others. As female speakers, they create karma by reasoning with passion and moving, specifically shown by rhetorical question, emphatic sentence, inversion sentence and so on. Using appropriate rhetorical devices can help the speakers express their opinions and construct their identities more effectively.

Key words: female identity; identity construction; public speech

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction.1

2. Theoretical Framework and Literature Review.2

2.1 Identity

2.2 Previous Researches on Woman Identity

   2.2.1. Woman Identity in the Literature

   2.2.2. Female Public Speeches

3. Woman Identity Constructed in the Speech4

3.1 Identities Constructed in the Speeches on Education

3.2 Identities Constructed in the Speeches on Medical Treatment

3.3 Identities Constructed in the Speeches on Economy

4. Conclusions.8

Bibliography..10

Acknowledgements.11