Language in the media + representation Flashcards
The Sapir Whorf Hypothesis
= idea that languages are different and speaker of those languages see the world differently (language determines the way we think)
e.g “how fast was the car going when it smashed/collided with the barrier?”
e.g “bridge” -> feminine in german and so when described is with stereotypical feminine adj
“bridge” -> masculine in spanish and so when described is with stereotypical masculine adj
pejorative
negative associations
Power in and behind discourse (fairclough)
within discourse - features used to convey power/ Relates to how powerful participants control others and the tools they use. Eg A doctor may have power within discourse through his use of medical terminology. (e.g register, interruptions, stress etc)
behind discourse - Social context that influences the way readers feel.who wrote it? why did they write it? how have they got power? (Eg A doctor may have power behind discourse due to the socially conformed ideology that doctors are trustworthy therefore, making the participant more likely to listen due to societies hierarchy)
Waering’s powers
- political power = legal power like police, judges etc (Language used in political power often is impolite, little convergence and imperatives used)
- personal power = occupational power like doctor, teacher ( people who have power over you due to their job) (Doctors use low frequency lexis, parents speak in third person)
- social power = Societal power ( Women disabled people and ethnic minorities typically have less social power. In an unequal society different groups use different forms of language)
EG Certain accents and dialects of you does an adequate in prestigious workplaces (Essex)
Face work
Goffmans term for the behaviour is used in presenting or protecting our face to others, as well as those that so I will respect of other speakers faces
Face threatening act
-developed by Brown and Levinson
- A speech act that has the potential to damage one self-esteem
= for example, a student making fun of a teacher is a phase threatening act however, if the teachers Childwall to make fun of them in the same way, it may not be due to the asymmetrical relationship of student and teacher, and they expected expectations of status and hierarchy
instrumental versus influential power
Instrumental power = is explicit and often imposed by higher authority (to instruct)
Influential power = a type of power that is persuasive, rather than imposing, held by anyone (to influence)
Positive power
- Power focuses on asymmetrical relationships and inequality between participants (teacher and student)
- Steven Lukes argued against the idea that power is always negative and leads to an unequal society
… for example, a teacher has personal power over a student. However, this is not a negative thing. The student loans intellectually and the teacher learns from the student…THIS IS POSITIVE POWER!
three readings by Stuart Hall
Dominant readings = the audience accepts the text and talk to in the same way in which the produce intended
Negotiated readings = the audience, understand what the text is trying to achieve, but does not relate to it
Oppositional or Resistant readings = the audience rejects the text due to their own beliefs and experiences
colloquial
informal
news story vs feature article
news s -> as it happens, MEANT to be unopinionated (in theory)
ft article -> happens later(after event), in-depth, can have opinion
left-wing newspapers and meaning
- daily mirror
- guardian
=liberal/labour income equality; higher tax rates on the wealthy; government spending on social programs and infrastructure; stronger regulations on business. socialism and equality of all people
- younger ppl
right-wing newspapers and meaning
- telegraph
- the daily mail
-the daily express
-the sun - times (near centre)
= conservative believe social hierarchy is normal , for the rich, get what you work for , lower tax
- older ppl
3 Values (Fairclough)
experiential values = any words ideologically loaded (words with certain associations -> ie ‘rampage’ creates ideas of animals but is used to describe a group of kids for an affect)
relational values = formality //refers to how close/distant the reader and writer are (formal/informal) (e.g ‘hooded youths’ has rv as audience is likely older gen)
expressive values =over wording/ hyperbolic // the idea that a word used by a writer might express a certain opinion (‘left wing politicians’ may be intended as an insult if you are Daily Mail readers but might express a positive feeling for someone who is more left wing)
Nominalization (Fairclough)
Process-> noun phrase Taking a whole idea and turning it into a single word/phrase (e.g ‘ this parliamentary bill is surrendering sovereignty to the EU’ -> ‘The surrender act)
active/passive voice
active -> you know the subject is the active agent, the are ‘doing it’ (American forces bombed a hospital/ hospitals were bombed by American air forces)
passive -> the subject is not doing it, reduces blame (a bomb was dropped on a hospital)
