How inherently different representations of the same event in media can be, due to ideological linguistic choices, shall be demonstrated in this essay. Furthermore, it will be pointed out why these choices are problematic and what impact they can have on consumers of news. In order to do so, a newspaper article about an industrial dispute in higher education from the Daily Mail1 and an article about the same event by the Guardian, both published on 22nd February 2018, will be scrutinised from a critical linguistic perspective. The analysis shall focus on differing patterns of transitivity, representation of social actors and naming practices.
Table of Contents
1. Essay 2 – Language and Power
1.1 Topic 1: Language and Power
Objectives and Research Themes
The primary objective of this essay is to analyze how different media outlets represent the same event through ideological linguistic choices. The research investigates how newspapers manipulate the perception of reality and influence readers' thoughts by focusing on specific transitivity patterns, social actor representation, and lexical choices.
- Critical Discourse Analysis of newspaper reports
- Transitivity patterns and agency in news coverage
- Ideological manipulation through lexical selection
- Representation of social actors and naming practices
- The impact of media bias on public perception
Excerpt from the Book
Topic 1: Language and Power
As Linguist Roger Fowler argues in Language in the News – Discourse and Ideology in the Press “[n]news is a representation […] of construction; it is not a value-free reflection of facts” (Fowler, 4). How inherently different representations of the same event in media can be, due to ideological linguistic choices, shall be demonstrated in this essay. Furthermore, it will be pointed out why these choices are problematic and what impact they can have on consumers of news. In order to do so, a newspaper article about an industrial dispute in higher education from the Daily Mail and an article about the same event by the Guardian, both published on 22nd February 2018, will be scrutinised from a critical linguistic perspective. The analysis shall focus on differing patterns of transitivity, representation of social actors and naming practices.
Transitivity analysis focuses on “who does what to whom, and how” (Machin and Mayr, 104). Thus, “[w]hen analysing agency (who does what to whom) and action (what gets done) [one is] interested in describing three aspects of meaning:” (ibid., 105) participants including the actor and the goal, i.e. the “done-to” (both can be persons, things or abstract concepts), processes consisting of verbs and verbal groups, and circumstances i.e. information about where, when and how something happens (cf. ibid.). However, transitivity analysis is not only interested in what differences can be found in the text, but also what is left out of a text (cf. ibid.).
Summary of Chapters
Essay 2 – Language and Power: This chapter introduces the theoretical framework of critical discourse analysis and the specific research interest concerning media representations of industrial disputes.
Topic 1: Language and Power: This section provides the core comparative analysis of two newspaper articles, examining how lexical choices, transitivity, and selected quotes construct opposing ideological perspectives on the same strike event.
Keywords
Critical Discourse Analysis, Media Bias, Language and Power, Transitivity, Ideology, Representation, Social Actors, Newspaper Discourse, Linguistic Choices, Agenda Setting, Journalism, Industrial Dispute
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic essay?
The essay explores how language is used in the press to construct specific ideologies and influence readers' perceptions of reality by comparing reports from the Daily Mail and the Guardian.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The research covers critical discourse analysis, the relationship between language and thought, media representation, and the linguistic construction of power dynamics.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate how identical events can be presented in radically different ways through strategic linguistic choices and the selection of quotes, ultimately shaping the reader's view.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author employs a critical linguistic perspective, specifically utilizing transitivity analysis and the study of lexical items and social actor representation.
What content is covered in the main body?
The main body compares headlines, the framing of actors (students vs. lecturers), and the use of selective quoting to steer reader interpretation regarding a 2018 university pension dispute.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include Critical Discourse Analysis, Media Bias, Ideology, Transitivity, and Linguistic Manipulation.
How does the Daily Mail frame the university dispute compared to the Guardian?
The Daily Mail portrays students as primary actors and aggrieved parties demanding refunds, whereas the Guardian frames the event as a struggle for civil rights, presenting students as supporters of the lecturers.
What role does the choice of quotes play in this study?
Quotes are used as an ideological tool; by carefully selecting who is quoted and for what purpose, the newspapers emphasize specific narratives—such as financial loss in the Daily Mail or solidarity/civil rights in the Guardian.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2018, The power of language, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/991071
