Special categories of words
Lexical choice can be used to enforce or attenuate illocutionary force.This is because certain types of words can，for instance，activate particular presuppositions，reveal speaker attitudes，and require reader agreement for interpretation.Some special“positive governing words“［6］as well as“name calling words”［7］are also used in political speeches.
This study uses statistics from the speeches to show how Australian politicians use special categories of words in order to achieve thematic emphasis and topical development throughout the entire duration of the speeches.These words are used to either praise one's own party，or to attack the political enemy.
The following data come from John Howard's speech.
Table1 Most frequently used words in John Howard's speech
In his speech，Howard attacks the opposition 22 times，and praises his government 62 times.He also states that his government“will“carry out certain plans of action on 18 occasions，and speaks of future government promises 35 times.Moreover，he calls for the Australian people to support his government's economic vision for the future 51 times.Howard also praises his government's deeds during the 30 months in which they were in office 68 times（we+government）.From this table the importance of the issue of the GST also becomes patently clear.The word“tax”is used 72 times，the second most frequently used word in his entire speech.
The following statistics are based on Kim Beazley's speech.
Table2 Most frequently used words in Kim Beazley's speech
In his speech，Beazley uses the words“listened”（10 times）and“learned”（9 times）in an effort to counter the negative image of the Labor Party as being a party out of touch with the people——an image that led to Labor's defeat in the 1996 federal election.
It is also of great interest to note that the most frequently used word in Beazley's speech is“we”（100 times）.Howard，on the other hand，displays a preference for the word“our”（82 times）.By using the word“our”，Howard creates a more intimate association with the Australian people by including them in his government's plans and policies for the future.