1. About the repository
This repository contains materials of Group H’s group projects for the subjects Collecting Data and Tools and Methods.
2. Introduction and background
Historical background
The Royal Christmas Messages have become a cherished tradition that dates back to 1932 when King George V delivered the very first Christmas message on the radio. Interestingly, it was Rudyard Kipling, the esteemed author of "The Jungle Book," who penned this inaugural Christmas speech. The King himself was not the originator of the idea; credit goes to Sir John Reith, a prominent figure at the British Broadcasting Company.
The annual Christmas speech carries a highly personal touch. It is crafted by the monarchs themselves, sometimes with assistance from their cabinet, and serves as a heartfelt message addressed directly to the people. This annual tradition allows the monarch to connect with the public in a more intimate and personal manner.
In 1957, the Royal Christmas Message took another significant leap forward with the first-ever televised broadcast. From then until 1960, these Christmas speeches were broadcast live on television. However, starting in 1960, the messages were pre-recorded to allow for wider distribution across the Commonwealth.
The setting of these broadcasts played a crucial role in their impact. Not only could people see the Queen delivering her message, but they were also treated to a warm and inviting "homely" setting adorned with Christmas decorations. This deliberate choice of setting was part of the communication strategy, as it aimed to create a sense of relatability and connection with people throughout the country. By presenting herself in a familiar and festive environment, the Queen fostered a sense of intimacy and closeness with the viewers.
The Corpus of Royal Christmas Speeches consists of a total of 70 speeches, encompassing the entirety of Queen Elizabeth II's reign up until her last Christmas speech in 2021. This extensive collection provides a valuable resource for studying the evolution of the monarchy's communication practices during the festive season. Additionally, the inclusion of the two speeches by King Charles III marks a significant transition within the monarchy, offering insights into the shifting dynamics of royal addresses.
Research background
The Queen's Christmas speeches have been the subject of linguistic studies in the past. In 2005, Hélène Catsiapis conducted a close reading of the Christmas speeches, identifying the recurring themes addressed by the Queen. Catsiapis observed a structured "synthetic plan" for the speeches, comprising the key subjects of Family, the Commonwealth, and Christmas. These three keywords were found in approximately 50 of the speeches analyzed. Catsiapis also noted a shift in the terminology used, with the word "Empire" gradually replaced by "Commonwealth." Intriguingly, Catsiapis conducted an image analysis of the televised speeches, revealing an additional layer of communication and the presentation of the monarchy. From her analysis, Catsiapis drew several conclusions. She highlighted that the speeches shed light on constitutional matters, played a role in advocating for the monarchy, and were the only speeches the Queen wrote (almost) independently, affording her a certain freedom of speech that reflected her personality.
Further studies have centered on the pronunciation and accent of the Queen's speeches and other scholars have delved into deeper discourse analyses of the Queen's Christmas speeches.
Source:
Catsiapis, H. 2005. The Queen's Christmas Messages. In Vernon, P. (Ed.), Seeing Things: literature and the visual : Papers from the Fifth International British Council Symposium, September 2001. Presses universitaires François-Rabelais. doi :10.4000/books.pufr.4223
For more information, please see our report on stylometric analysis (report.pdf).
3. Corpus
Our corpus includes the transcripts of Christmas speeches given by the British Queen Elizabeth II from 1952 to 2021 and her successor King Charles III in 2022 and 2023. The corpus consists of 72 speeches altogether.
4. Target audience
The corpus is suitable for researchers who are interested in the Christmas messages given by the British royal family, especially in their analysis from a text-based perspective.
5. Objectives
a) answer our research questions - Tools and Methods, Collecting Data
b) provide tutorials - Collecting Data
c) create active learning exercises - Collecting Data
6. Research output
To publish our findings, we created the following website: https://royal-christmas-messages.my.canva.site/
7. Folders in this repository
- Collecting Data
- Tools and Methods
Contributors
Bente 🌹 Mathilde 🌻 Mengying 🍃 Miriam 🍁 Reka 🌲 Shiyan 🌿 Yunchi 🌋