Perspective Of Discourse Analysis Research Articles

Discursive authority in COVID-19 vaccination fact-checking: the case of @butantanoficial on Instagram

From the theoretical-methodological perspective of New Literacy Studies and French Discourse Analysis, this paper aims to investigate discursive strategies employed by Butantan Institute in publications aimed at debunking dis- or misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination in Brazil. The corpus consists of 32 visual-verbal textual productions (posts) published by the @butantanoficial profile on the digital social network Instagram in the years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The hypothesis, grounded in the studies of Amossy (2022), is that over these years, the Institute has made various attempts to establish authority in the discourse surrounding COVID-19 vaccination, particularly concerning the possession of what would be perceived as “true statements” about vaccination, in contrast to “false statements”, within a context of disinformation and fake news. The results highlight the prioritization of strategies in the discursive construction and re-elaboration of an ethos closely tied to different demands from the public as well as to interests of the Institute itself, across various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research on Subtitle Translation from the Perspective of Multimodal Discourse Analysis—Taking the Movie Lighting Up the Stars as an Example

Research on Subtitle Translation from the Perspective of Multimodal Discourse Analysis—Taking the Movie Lighting Up the Stars as an Example

Study on Inclusive Language in Chinese and Thai News Report from the Perspective of Critical Discourse Analysis

News report, an important way of disseminating information, is always readily accepted without any prejudice. However, the ideology embedded in it is often ignored by readers. In response to the call for people’s ideology among inclusive language, this research draws on the perspective of critical discourse analysis to investigate what the similarities and differences of inclusive language used in Chinese and Thai news report and the reasons behind the discrepancy. Based on Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework, this research collects 4 separate news reports from People’s Daily and Siam Daily to examine the hidden ideology in inclusive language. The analysis reveals that both media are aware of the importance of inclusive language and use it to reduce ambiguity and stigma in reports. These findings have significant implications for institutions such as public spaces or the media should standardize the use of inclusive language, where necessary.

The Images of The Feudal Societies in Vietnamese Literary Works: A Perspective of Critical Discourse Analysis

Purpose: This study aims to apply critical discourse analysis (henceforth CDA) to examine representations of feudalism in Vietnamese literary works. The discourse-historical approach (Wodak, 2009) and socio-cognitive framework (Van Dijk, 1993) guide an analysis of how linguistic strategies construct feudal portrayals and situate them within Vietnam's sociohistorical context. Methods: A corpus of five short stories (1930-1945) thematically depicting feudalism is compiled. Detailed textual analysis identifies metaphors, lexical choices, connotations and symbolic spaces that construct vivid feudal imagery portraying oppression and injustice. Results: Findings show the discourse utilizes techniques like animal metaphors, derogatory nouns, and graphic violence to dramatize the dehumanization and brutality endured by peasants under feudalism. This study demonstrates usefulness of CDA for elucidating the complex, nuanced ways literary discourse reproduces and contests dominant power structures and ideologies. Discussion: Findings provide deeper insight into linguistic strategies that critique yet inadvertently reinforce aspects of feudalism. The adoption of CDA can enrich Vietnamese literary scholarship by enabling a more critical examination of discursive constructions of identity, inequality and power relations.

A News Media Representation on Disability and Information Accessibility in China from the Perspective of Critical Discourse Analysis

Based on critical discourse analysis, this paper takes thirty news articles related to disability and information accessibility from three Chinese news media as its research object to explore themes that describe how Chinese news media reflects and constitutes its understanding of disability and information accessibility. By doing this, it intends to reveal the themes of those articles and identify potential prejudices, illusions, and stereotypes that may influence the disability. This paper aims to address the following two questions: 1) What content exists in mainstream Chinese news media concerning disability and information accessibility? 2) What themes do these discourses present regarding disability and information accessibility? The results show that 1) The content of thirty news articles includes introductions, evaluations and advice of apps related to information accessibility, activities promoting information accessibility, audiovisual works with information accessibility, and official policies regarding information accessibility; 2) Five key themes are found in these discourses, which are discourses of problem-solving, criticism, awareness as advocacy, self-congratulations or overly optimistic judgments and a tendency of elderly-oriented over disability. Through the analysis of these themes, this paper concludes with implications to advance the development of information accessibility for disability.

‘The land of your fathers lieth in ruins’: A multimodal critical discourse analysis of Nigeria’s 2023 pre- election crises-related internet memes

This paper examines political protest in 40 purposively sampled internet memes circulated among Nigerian Facebook and WhatsApp users during the socio-political crises that engulfed the country ahead of the 2023 general elections. It explores the thematic preoccupation as well as the representation of participants and processes in the memes. Data were subjected to qualitative anaysis, and examined from the perspectives of multimodal and critical discourse analysis. The analysis reveals that the memes are used to protest cash crunch, fuel scarcity, socio-political unease and other government’s anti-people policies with their attendant effects. The memes are circulated to instantiate a negative representation of the Nigerian government and resist perceived anti-people ideology of the government.

“So if you’re going fossil hunting, that’s where you should look”

Abstract Whether directed at adults or children, popularization can be viewed as a process of “translating” and “recontextualizing” expert discourse for a lay audience. In fact, knowledge dissemination for children appears to entail an additional form of “translation,” given their limited background knowledge. This “re-translation” often occurs on dedicated websites based on “edutainment.” While most museum websites function as promotional tools or as agents of knowledge dissemination, a small number of them are targeted at children and offer texts that insert museum objects in a broader context. By means of a small case study, this paper explores how knowledge is popularized and presented in two science museum websites: the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London and OLogy, the science website for children of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York. From a corpus-linguistic and discourse-analysis perspective, our interest lies in how popularization takes shape in these two websites, the former intended for different age groups and the latter explicitly addressing children. Quantitative and qualitative results show similarities and dissimilarities, thus accounting for different types of popularization as forms of translation. The analysis aims to grant insights to translators and interpreters engaged in museum adaptations and translation of contexts.

Gender representations in school mathematics: a study of primary textbooks in the Republic of Cyprus

ABSTRACT Several studies indicate that gender is often portrayed stereotypically in mathematics textbooks worldwide. Based on the premise that such representations need to be examined with particular attention to the cultural context within which they exist, this study focuses on the upper-primary mathematics textbooks of the Republic of Cyprus, which are nationally produced and mandatory for all public schools. Specifically, the eight individual parts of grades 5 and 6 (four for each grade) were examined. By approaching both written and visual references from a critical discourse analysis perspective, the findings highlight that (a) gender is represented within the binary system, and (b) there are essential differences in depictions of men and women across three dimensions: professional status, everyday activities, and references to real people. These differences allude to stereotypical performative aspects of gender in this specific socio-cultural context. In closing, I make recommendations for future research directions in this area.

Beyond symptom classification: Analyzing subjectivity of people diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder through Lacanian Discourse Analysis perspective

Intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors are manifested in numerous forms, however regarding the symptom-based system, people with such diverse forms of symptoms are diagnosed under the same category, named obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The social constructivist approach, that have an increasingly substantial impact on psychotherapy research, emphasizes the subjectivity of individuals since the therapeutic field focuses on one-to-one work. Although studies on psychotherapy and the use of language are expanding, to the best knowledge of authors the subjectivity of people diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder has not yet been studied using a combination of qualitative, discursive, critical, and language-based perspectives. The main purpose of this study was to critically evaluate the symptom-based diagnosis in the therapeutic process, with a particular emphasis on the subjectivity of people with OCD symptoms and their discursive practices. For this aim, interviews were conducted with six participants who were diagnosed with OCD and selected via the purposive sampling method. As for the qualitative analysis, critical and Lacanian Discourse Analysis perspectives were utilized. Considering the concepts of this perspective, the analysis revealed that though all participants were diagnosed under the same category, namely OCD, their basic signifiers, positioning, and relationships with the Other were quite distinct. Furthermore, differentiated patient discourses and gender differences emerged as crucial issues that were discussed in the light of Lacanian psychoanalytic literature. These findings suggested that individuals should be carefully listened to within their own subjectivity and psychological structures instead of being broadly categorized on the basis of symptom similarity. Based on the findings, the current study presents a diagnostic debate and key clinical implications.

Multimodal Representations of Rural-Urban Divide on Reality TV: The Case of X-Change

China, as the most populous developing nation globally, may exhibit the greatest urban-rural disparity compared to other developing nations. Perspectives on the rural-urban divide persist despite the significant political, economic, and social upheaval that have occurred in Mainland China over the past century. Drawing on Mackay’s (2015) multimodal legitimation framework, this study examined how urban and rural were constructed and (de)legitimized by a series of multimodal resources, including visual, verbal, and audio modes. Using a critical discourse analysis perspective through a multimodal legitimation approach, this study explored how X-Change portrayed and influenced current Chinese perceptions of reality, with a specific focus on how these programmes depicted China’s urban-rural divide. The findings revealed that both the urban and rural were multimodally constructed and (de)legitimized as a paradox. However, this study also found a reproduction of urban hegemonic discourse via the interplay of various semiotic resources and (de)legitimation strategies, suggesting that the urban very much forms the center of society in the context of contemporary China. These findings contribute to existing scholarship on the rural-urban divide in Chinese Reality Television (RTV).

The Linguistic Analysis of Indictments in English Through Speech Acts and Evaluation Frameworks

This study aims to analyze the linguistic features of indictments in English using speech act theory and appraisal frameworks. The theoretical background draws on Searle's (1969) taxonomy of speech acts and Martin and White's (2005) appraisal model for analyzing interpersonal meaning. The methodology employs qualitative textual analysis to code speech acts and appraisal resources in a dataset of 10 English indictments sourced from legal databases. Preliminary findings identified assertive speech acts describing alleged facts, directive acts asserting charges, and expressive and declarative acts conveying the prosecutor's stance. The analysis also revealed linguistic strategies for construing attitude and graduating intensity. Key results demonstrate how prosecutors rhetorically utilize speech acts and evaluation to formally assert charges, commit to proving accusations, and align readers against defendants. This research enriches our understanding of indictments from applied linguistic and discourse analytic perspectives. It provides practitioners with insights into crafting more deliberate indictments through language choices. Further research can expand the framework cross-culturally and to other legal genres.

Who’s Really Got the Right Moves? Analyzing Recommendations for Writing American Judicial Opinions

There is little linguistic research on the structure of judicial opinions from a discourse analysis perspective. There are, however, many professional resources about writing judicial opinions. This paper contributes to genre theory and linguistics of languages for specific purposes by proposing a role for professional writing advice. We also construct a typology of macrostructures proposed by professionals and compare them to the move structure of authentic judicial opinions. Our results show that, in terms of large discourse units, professional resources and move analysis seem to converge. Professional resources, however, do not describe the variation that may be observed in authentic documents. In this way, corpora of professional advice may contribute to a deeper understanding of how a discourse community represents its own genres.

Language matters: Analysing the national environmental policy of India (2006) from an ecolinguistic discourse analytic perspective

This study aims to scrutinize the discursive practices which are as important as the practical steps when it comes to environmental management. The role of discursive practices when it comes to environmental preservation is overlooked by the practitioners. While the previous studies were focusing more on the political and ideological side of the policy taken for the study, the discursive side remained unexamined. By focusing more on the harmful discursive practices regrading environment such as anthropocentric language, phrases, usages used in the National environment policy, the study offers a fresh perspective to Indian environmentalism and policymaking regarding environment. By analyzing the environment policy under the lens of Ecolinguistic discourse analysis, the invisible disparities that are there in the policy will be made perceptible. The study also highlights the importance of incorporating Indian ecosophy (ecological philosophy) when formulating such policies, which advocates interconnectedness, interdependence and environmental stewardship. By addressing and rectifying harmful discursive usages, policymakers can contribute to enhancing environmental awareness, correcting misconceptions and fostering a deeper understanding of the interconnected relationship between humans and environment. The findings of the study remind of the need for holistic and inclusive linguistic usages and the problematic side of the existing language used in the environmental policy.

Decolonizing Higher Education in Norway: Critical Collaborative Autoethnographic Reflections on a University Pedagogy Course

Globally, there is a trend in academic development to centralize the importance of decolonizing curriculum and pedagogical practice in higher education (HE). In Norway, despite internationalization, diversity and inclusion being highly regarded values in HE policy documents, efforts towards decolonial change and transformation of curriculum and pedagogical practice in HE seem to be largely ignored. Understanding university teacher education as a driver of institutional educational transformation, this article contributes to the effort of decolonizing HE in Norway. Utilizing critical collaborative autoethnographic methodology, we reflect on our own roles in our early attempts to decolonize a course on decolonization and pedagogical practice offered to teaching staff at a Norwegian university college. Taking our point of departure in decolonial theory and the concept of modernity/coloniality, we critically discuss and question the potency of our own roles—as two middle-aged white cis-men and one middle-aged cis-woman, all lecturers with expertise mainly in decolonial theories, decolonial learning and teaching practices, and critical whiteness and critical discourse analysis perspectives—in transforming the ways that Western epistemology prevail in our pedagogical practices. We also address the implications for university pedagogy courses with respect to future decolonizing efforts in HE in Norway.

Reporting assassinations in the Ethiopian press

This paper aims at analyzing the reporting of assassinations in the Ethiopian press from a discourse analytical perspective. The study attempted to answer three questions: 1) How are assassinations represented in the press? 2) What identities are set up for those involved in the assassinations? And, finally, how is meaning communicated in various discursive structures and communicative events? To that end, the study employed Jeffrie’s critical stylistics as an analytical framework within a qualitative design. The data were collected from five Ethiopian newspapers that were selected purposively in line with predetermined criteria. A corpus of 102 media stories that were published from June 2018 to June 2020 was setup. The findings show that each outlet reported the incidents synonymously, emphasizing a scapegoating process that could ideologically reaffirm the dominant political discourse. In doing so, four naming and labeling strategies were identified: lionizing (making the dead a hero), blaming and demonizing, victimizing (making the dead innocent and martyrs), and ethnification (connecting both the victims and offenders to their ethnic belongings). Polarized representations of actions, space, time, and society were evident in the selected stories. The government, together with its different organs and affiliates, was used as the sole and primary source of information. The voices of the government on the incidents were reported as widely accepted facts, as evidenced by the blurred line between direct and indirect speeches. This in turn helped to reaffirm the existing dominant political discourse – the status quo.

Key pathways toward developing more ecoliterate individuals: a harmonious discourse analysis perspective

This article explores key pathways to improve the Chinese people’s ecological literacy (ecoliteracy) in ecolinguistics, and uses the framework of harmonious discourse analysis (HDA) to show how those pathways work. First, by reviewing HDA and ecoliteracy, we clarified the feasibility of their combined study. Then, a questionnaire was conducted among the inhabitants of one of China’s most ecologically advanced cities, and the key pathways to improving ecoliteracy were determined. The results showed that there were eight factors that were considered to encourage the people to be more ecoliterate, falling into the categories of education, participation in activities, and documents and publicity. We also reviewed a variety of cases and demonstrated the significance of these pathways for ecoliteracy using the framework of HDA. We found that an ecoliterate individual can guide ecological practice better by following the general assumption of human-orientedness and the principles of conscience, proximity, and regulation. These results provide new ways for ecologists and linguists to explore ecological issues, not only broadening the linguistic pathways of ecoliteracy, but also enriching the content of HDA.

Community narratives on rural homelessness: Tales of terror and tales of compassion

Homelessness is often assumed to be mostly confined to urban spaces, leaving experiences of homelessness in rural contexts largely unexamined. The present study aims to understand the discursive context, or public understanding, of homelessness in rural communities. We examined community narratives related to the idea of “homelessness” in rural spaces. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 70 key stakeholders from four rural communities in the U.S. State of Maine. Participants were asked to give their impressions related to homelessness in their community. We conducted a systematic qualitative analysis of these interviews and our analysis was grounded in a critical discourse analysis perspective. Using Rappaport’s framework for understanding helpful and harmful community narratives, we identified three community narratives that harm by stereotyping or erasing homelessness in rural communities: Not Here, That One Guy, and Mainly Outsiders. We also examined counter-narratives that worked against each of the three primary narratives: It Looks Different, It’s More Hidden, and Local Struggle and Lack of Resources. The counter-narratives tell a different, more compassionate, story of homelessness in rural spaces. Our main goal was to analyze the “work” that each of these narratives were doing in terms of constructing different understandings of “rural homelessness.” The implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Sustainable Green Future from a Multimodal Positive Discourse Analysis Perspective: Investigating Environmental Metaphors in Some Selected Cartoons

A substantial body of research pertaining to ecological issues has significantly centered its attention on laying out the deleterious, harmful and destructive consequences stemming from human actions upon the environment. This emphasis often revolves around negative metaphors that evoke fear, threats, and danger, leaving the positive aspects of green and sustainable future relatively unexplored. This paper adopts a Multimodal Positive Discourse Analysis (MPDA) approach to scrutinize visual socio-cognitive metaphors presented in 11 environmental cartoons disseminated by the Indian Council of Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) on diverse ecological issues. The study aligns with Forceivelle's (1996 & 2009) theory of multimodal metaphor and Hart's (2008) model of critical metaphor analysis in the light of Martin's (2004) Positive Discourse Analysis (PDA) theoretical framework. Therefore, emphasizing the significance of visual metaphor in the formulation of new and positive eco-friendly scenarios through the process of projection and integration across two distinct input spaces. The results of the study show that positive scenarios such as hope, success, aspiration, ambition, and optimism have been motivated in the generic space, providing an antithesis to the predominant negative scenarios characterized by stereotypes of eco threat, harm, insecurity, and instability.

Writing and Power

The primary aim of this theoretical and methodological paper is to conceptualise early school writing instruction (with 6 and 7-year-old students) through a critical discourse analytical (CDA; Fairclough, 2003) perspective. By drawing on empirical examples from two L1 classrooms, the paper provides an example of how a CDA analysis may be operationalised, particularly in an educational setting in primary school years. In doing so, the paper unveils how social power permeates the discourse practices of early school writing and how its effects on writing instruction may be understood. The data consists of video-recorded observations of writing instruction in two classrooms and transcribed semi-structured interviews with two teachers. The conceptualisation shows major differences in the effects of power in discourse in the two classrooms, shaping the discourse practice in various ways. It furthermore becomes evident that these classrooms are sites of power struggles with effects on discourse and where discourse practices, in various ways, (re)construe both the social world of the classroom as well as what is being taught. However, rather than reproducing social power structures per se, this paper suggests that the classroom holds potential for contestation and transformation of structural power, not least dependent on the actions of the teacher.

Ambivalent or beneficial? An ecological discourse analysis of news reports on the adventures of China’s wandering elephants

Abstract Based on the ecosophy of “diversity and harmony, interaction and co-existence”, the present study analyzes the characteristics of the attitude system of news reports on the adventures of China’s wandering elephants in China Daily to investigate whether the reports belong to ambivalent or beneficial discourse from the perspective of ecological discourse analysis. The findings show that judgement and appreciation resources are more frequently used than affect resources; negative resources are fewer than positive ones but some negative resources also have positive functions; more attention has been paid to human protection measures than to animals; besides, beneficial discourse accounts for the highest proportion, which shows China’s concept of ecological civilization. Based on the above analysis, suggestions are proposed for news discourse in communicating China’s ecological civilization: showing personal rather than general emotional experience in animal protection to express Chinese people’s love and concern for animals, appreciating positive emotions and the mutual helping behaviour of animals to express ecological consciousness indirectly, and taking full advantage of the links between affect, judgement and appreciation to express the moral judgement.