Language and discourse 2 Institutional practices which people draw upon without thinking often embody assumptions that…legitimise power relations. Practices which appear commonsensical can often be shown to originate in the dominant class…and to have become naturalized (Fairclough, 2001:27).

Last Class Language and ideology Language and status Two ways of creating and maintaining power: --Consent and Coercion The nature of mass media is often not clear There are differences between face-to- face interactions: Lack of feedback

Institutional Settings and Discourse Educational, health, judiciary, the media, etc. Transmit and maintain societal structures Involves participants separated in place and time Involves hidden power relations

Differences: face-to-face discourse and media discourse 1. One-sided nature of media discourse --sharp division: producer and audience( interpreter) --no room for contestation 2. Lack of close interaction in media discourse --adaptability of face-to-face discourse --mass media design for mass audiences

Why do we need to understand media discourse? Influence of media unquestionable Construct and reconstruct particular realities Aura of partiality of media is deceiving Expressed bias: they highlight some items and ignore others

The assumption of neutrality: Media Discourse TV Sustained by form and content Form: familiarity Familiarity creates a sense of trust Printed Media Neutrality by anonymity Language control: institutional control Language devices: nouns, verbs, etc

Syntactic Constructions and Media Discourse Agents of actions and subjects Example: --Anna ate a pizza --The pizza was eaten by Anna Shifting focus from agent of action to recipient of action --The pizza was eaten

Two headlines: The Times and the Guardian RIOTING BLACKS SHOT DEAD BY POLICE AS ANC LEADERS MEET---Eleven Africans were shot dead and 15 wounded when Rhodesian police opened fire on a rioting crowd of about 2,000 in the African Highfield township of Salisbury this afternoon. POLICE SHOOT 11 DEAD IN SALISBURY RIOT- ---Riot police shot and killed 11 African demonstrators and wounded 15 others here today in the Highfield township on the outskirts of Salisbury.

TV, Film Similar hidden messages Focus on particular topics Sounds influences moods Organization of images

Summary Media discourse designed with mass audiences in mind: construction of ideal subject Involves grammatical constructions, vocabulary and language

Discussion question To what extend are ideologies variable within a society, and how are such variations manifested in discourse?

Exercise Find articles that relate to: 1.The relationship between language and a dominant ideology in North america 2.The relationship between language and power situations