IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Lite

Exploring Recurrent Rhetorical Patterns in Digital Motivational Discourse: A Comparative Swalesian Move Analysis of TEDx Narratives

Nurdiana Astuti (English Education, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang, Central Java)
Sri Wuli Fitriati (English Education, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang, Central Java)



Article Info

Publish Date
17 Sep 2026

Abstract

  Abstract This study explores recurring rhetorical patterns and linguistic features in digital motivational  narratives on the TEDx platform. Focusing on Syakira Putri's talk, Manifesting Goals:  Visualizing Your Future Success, as a central focal text, the investigation uses a qualitative  comparative genre-analysis design alongside two comparison talks sharing the same theme  of goal visualization and manifestation, delivered by D. Ivan Young and Madeline Wood.  Drawing on John Swales' genre analysis framework, the study explores the applicability of  Swalesian move analysis to spoken digital motivational discourse by adapting the Create a  Research Space (CARS) model into a provisional three-move framework: Establishing Engagement, Establishing the Narrative Niche, and Occupying the Niche. Transcripts  of the three talks (totaling 4,850 words across 112 coded segments) were analyzed using a  instrument validated by three expert reviewers (kappa coefficient of 0.84 indicated high inter-coder agreement). Across the three talks examined, all three moves occurred consistently,  suggesting a potentially recurrent rhetorical pattern that should be tested in a larger corpus.  At the step level, structural realizations demonstrate speaker-specific flexibility: Syakira Putri  establishes her niche through a personal-crisis narrative, whereas the comparison speakers  rely on conceptual counter-claims against established models. Linguistically, crisis narratives  rely on narrative past tense, temporal connectors, and affective lexis, while counter-claims  favor generalizing present tense, negation, and contrastive markers; all speakers shift  toward second-person imperatives during the directive call to action. The findings provide  practical insights for English Language Teaching (ELT) and public-speaking pedagogy,  while highlighting the need for caution when extending move-analysis frameworks to small-corpus digital spoken discourse.                                                                                                    

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ideas

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

IDEAS Journal is published twice a year in the months of June and December (P-ISSN 2338-4778 and E-ISSN 2548-4192); it presents articles on English language teaching and learning, linguistics, and literature. The contents include analyses, studies and application of theories, research report, ...