Style of language

David Cameron’s style of language in his Speech on Radicalization, Islamic Extremism, and the Failure of State Multiculturalism is mainly formal, as the topics he discusses are important for the political context he is in. 

In terms of sentence structure, Cameron tends to use short and middle-length sentences that help the audience focus on one idea at a time. By keeping his sentences short and to the point, his ideas appear clearer and easier to follow, like in the following example:

Now, I’m not saying that these issues of poverty and grievance about foreign policy are not important. Yes, of course we must tackle them. Of course we must tackle poverty. (…) But let us not fool ourselves. These are just contributory factors.

In this example, Cameron’s short sentences help him point out that dealing with issues in the Middle East is not going to solve the problem of terrorism, as Islamic extremism is not going to disappear. The mix of formal and informal expressions, for example in the formal “contributory factors” versus the informal “fool ourselves” keep the audience engaged and allows them to follow his reasoning.

Cameron’s choice of words seems to distinguish between good and bad va...