Topic

Boris Johnson's speech on the EU referendum explores the topic of the Brexit referendum which called on British citizens to vote on whether they wanted to remain in the EU or leave the unio…

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Brexit referendum

Under this general topic, the speech explores more specific issues, namely the advantages of leaving the EU, compared with the disadvantages of staying, which are summarised in the last part of the speech:

It is between taking back control of our money – or giving a further £100bn to Brussels before the next election. Between deciding who we want to come here to live and work – or letting the EU decide. Between a dynamic liberal cosmopolita…

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Argumentation

Speeches are usually constructed using direct or hidden argumentation, or a combination of both. Direct argumentation means the speakers state their views and arguments explicitly. Hidden argumentation means the speakers prefer to suggest (imply) their arguments in various ways, without expressing them openly.

Boris Johnson's speech on the EU referendum is an example of predominantly open argumentation. In the speech, Johnson explicitly states his purpose and his…