Language

The language used by Barack Obama in his remarks at the memorial service for  Nelson Mandela is formal but easy to follow and understand. His style is defined by clarity and seriousness, which is appropriate to the occasion of a memorial service for a respected political lead…

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Choice of words

The choice of words reflects the type of speech (a eulogy), including many positive words praising Nelson Mandela: “cherished legacy” (l. 11), “unique qualities” (l. 16), “giant of history” (l. 18), “great liberator” (l. 23), “an icon, smiling and serene” (l. 41), “a heroic life” (l. 140), etc.

The speaker also includes a few words that generate negative images to talk about past racial discrimination or about present challenges and attitudes: “oppressed” (l. 27), “brutal imprisonment” (l. 28), “racial subjugation” (l. 147), “children suffering” (l. 159), etc.

You should also look at the extensive use of verbs in the speech which help Obama focus on the importance of acting according to one’s values and ideals. To support this view, Obama constantly mentions things that Mandela did: “to show” (l. 132), “to teach” …

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Sentence structure

The speaker uses sentences of different lengths in his speech, a technique that helps the speech sound more dynamic. Often a longer, more descriptive sentence is preceded or followed by a shorter, more memorable one: “We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. But let me say to the young people of Africa and the young people around the world –  you, too, can make his life’s work your own.” (ll. 188-191)

Sometimes the speaker is interrupted by rounds of applause; other times he intentionally fragments his sentences to add emphasis to his words: “The questions we fa…