Exploring some aspects of Media Discourse

1
Exploring some aspects of Media Discourse

• Younes Shokrkhah
• Assistant Professor of Mass Communication
• Faculty of World Studies
• Tehran University

2
Slides ahead

• The System Model of Communication
• Discourse
• Levels of Language
• Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
• Hegemony
• Ideology
• Agenda setting
• Denotation and Connotation
• Conclusion

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The System Model of Communication

• SENDER gtgt
• Discourse Not an easy term to get to grips
  with, because it is used differently in different
  areas
• no difference between local or Global ones
• MESSAGE gtgt
• Intertextuality, Genre, Narrative, Myth, the
  Subject, Discourse
• RECEIVER gtgt
• Passive, Active, Situated, Cultivated

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Discourse

• In linguistics
• an utterance larger than a single sentence
• In interpersonal communication
• refers to the analysis of the verbal and
  non-verbal aspects of an interaction as well as
  the context in which the interaction takes place.
  
• Discourse analysis often forms a part of
  ethnographic studies.
•  

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Levels of Language

• Three Levels of Grammar
• Phonology Rules of how a language sounds, and
  how and when certain sounds can be combined.
• Syntax rules concerning word order
• Semantics combining separate word meanings into
  a sensible, meaningful whole
• These three levels are the primary focus of
  linguists.
• CDA passes these three levels
• culture, power . context,discourse

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Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)

• Is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of
  discourse, which views language as a form of
  social practice.
• In cultural studies most usefully developed by
  the French post-structuralist philosopher Michel
  Foucault.
• While DA is concerned with the meanings of
  language and other codes, his focus is primarily
  on the power relationships embodied in those
  codes. CDA
• -Codes and their meanings do not stand somehow
  outside society and history rather they are
  always subject to the historical and social
  context of the time and prevailing power
  relationships and conflicts. 'discursive
  practice'

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Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) Continued

• - discourses frequently become institutionalized,
  particularly by the media industries, in so far
  as they are structured by a socially produced set
  of conventions that are tacitly accepted by both
  industry and consumers.
• -In this sense we can talk about the discourses
  of, say, radio and television news, the
  discourses of medicine, science, academia and so
  on.

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Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) Continued

• 3 different expressions of stance
• Epistemic stance
• i.e. expression of doubt and uncertainty,
• Attitudinal stance
• i.e. the expression of the speakers beliefs,
• Style stance
• the way in which the information is encoded and
  organized
• How can we detect evaluation?
• Lexis. Choice of adjectives, verbs, nouns
• Grammar. Use of intensifiers (e.g. very,greatly)
• Text. Positioning in a text e.g. at the end or
  beginning?
• Important role of pronouns they, you, we and

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Hegemony

• Antonio Gramsci
• Dominance of one social class over others, the
  bourgeoisie over other classeskey word is
  cultural the bourgeois culture, beliefs,
  values
• - the bourgeoisie are successful in projecting
  their view of the world as natural and common
  sense, taken for granted, legitimate.
• - the media, from this viewpoint, are seen as
  playing a vital role in constructing the
  consensus.
• A more traditional Marxist view the economic
  control 0f the dominant class.

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Ideology

• - it may be used in a neutral sense to refer to a
  set of political ideas and discourses which are
  related in some way to the interests of a social
  group.
• - it may be used in a negative sense, according
  to which ideology is always necessarily a
  distortion.
• The idea derives from Karl Marx's (generally
  'negative')
• any system of thought which upholds the
  position of the dominant class
• - 'In every historical epoch the dominant ideas
  are those of the ruling classes.
• (Marx K Engels F (1970) The German Ideology
  Lawrence and Wishart (written 1845-6

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Ideology Continued

• In Communication studies
• refers to a dominant ideology.
• Cultural effects - Marxist approach
• The Frankfurt School
• versus the American 'empiricist' tradition
• Agenda setting is the continuation of this
  approach

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Agenda setting

• best described by Bernard Cohen (1963)
• the press may not be successful much of the time
  in telling people what to think, but it is
  stunningly successful in telling its readers what
  to think about
• The agenda shows the order in which items are to
  be discussed and anything not on the agenda is
  not discussed.
• the media are said to set the framework for
  debate on current issues. Marxist approach
• Hypodermic Needle Theory (Magic Bullet Theory).

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Agenda setting continued

• There are two basic assumptions about
  agenda-setting
• The press and the media do not reflect reality
  they filter and shape it GUMG
• Media concentration on a few issues and subjects
  leads the public to perceive those issues as more
  important than other issues

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Denotation and Connotation

• The sign we choose to use gains much of its
  meaning, not so much from what it is, but what it
  isn't.
• Its meaning is determined by the rejection of
  all the other signs we have chosen not to use.
• Main point Syntagmatic - paradigmatic
• what you wear syntagm language
• the contents of the wardrobe paradigm
  discourse

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Conclusion Your position?

• Powerful Effects of Mass Media?
• Theories of Media Influence/ we discussed some
  of them right now
• Limited Effects of Mass Media?
• Death of the Author/ French literary critic
  Roland Barthes
• reception theories
• What do you think about this? Shaping and Being
  Shaped
• And finally in order to fully understand the
  issue at stake, please think to
• The information superhighway, the infobahn or
  cyberspace Media
• Hypertext not text! )
• TNX