A Linguistic Study of Selected American and Egyptian Popular Songs

Abstract

songwriters toward these issues. This thesis propounds linguistic analysis of some selected American and Egyptian popular songs from 2006 to 2018. It investigates how the popular song reflects the society to which it belongs. This is achieved through applying an eclectic approach of the speech act theory of Searle (1969, 1975), the conceptual metaphor theory of Lakoff and Johnson (1980), and systemic functional grammar of Halliday (2014) in order to analyze American and Egyptian popular songs. The study examines twenty songs selected due to three common themes which are the themes of life, money, and love. After comparing and contrasting the results of utilizing the speech act theory, systemic functional grammar, and the conceptual metaphor theory in the American and Egyptian popular songs, the results prove that both the American and Egyptian societies bear similarities, yet the differences are perceptible due to the cultural alterations. Therefore, the lyrics of the American and Egyptian popular songs reflect common social issues that are found in both societies, in addition to highlighting the ideology