scholarly journals Post 9/11 American Footprints in Pakistani Media: A Critique of Semiotic Discourses of Pakistani Newspapers

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-133
Author(s):  
Muhammad Akbar Sajid ◽  
Sajid Waqar ◽  
Rabia Mohsin ◽  
Muhammad Javaid Jamil
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Print Media ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
The People ◽  
Linguistic Analyses ◽  
Media Discourses ◽  
Target Readership

This paper highlights the power of image in shaping perception of the people regarding post 9/11 American representation in Pakistani print media discourses.  The study deconstructs the semiotic discourse(s) of Pakistani English newspaper Dawn (daily) from September 2018 to February 2019 to argue that linguistic and semiotic devices and techniques work discursively to shape the readers’ perception regarding American foot-prints in Pakistani print media.  It employs Multimodal Critical Discourse analysis approach by drawing upon Machin (2007), Van Leeuwen framework for recontextualization (2008) and Fairclough’s (2003) for visual and linguistic analyses to lay bare embedded ideologies propagated through word-picture conjunction. The levels of analysis include participants, settings, poses, objects, metaphor, inclusion, exclusion and discourse. Moreover, the researchers have validated the findings of their   semiotic analysis by conducting two focus group discussions among the students of linguistics and other disciplines. The findings reveal that print media semiotic discourses provide an appropriate use of language in graphic form.  The findings reveal that no use of language is ideology free and words and pictures work in conjunction to propagate desired ideology to the target readership. Additionally, the study notices the visible change that has taken place regarding American representation from superordinate to back foot and ready-to-hold dialogue through semiotic discourses of mentioned newspaper.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Politics of Representation: A CSA of Pakistani Print Media Semiotic Discourses

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Sajid Akbar ◽  
Memoona Nazir ◽  
Muhammad Tayyab ◽  
Kiran Shehzadi
Keyword(s):  
Print Media ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Vaccine Production ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Health Ministry ◽  
Integrated Research ◽  
Oil Crisis ◽  
Media Discourses

Print media discourses are highly polarized. Different linguistic and meta-linguistic moves are employed to represent the same issue under different socio-political themes. This study decodes the semiotic discourses of two (02) Pakistani English and Urdu newspapers (Dawn & Jang) about the representation of COVID-19 related issues. This has been done to broaden the canvas of the research by including English and Urdu newspapers’ readership.  The time span for data collection ranges from March 15, 2020, to May 15, 2020. The integrated research approach used in the study has been devised by drawing upon Kress (2010) and Krueger (2001) to analyze the data at linguistic and semiotic levels. The findings of semiotic analysis have been validated through focus group discussions on the selected cartoons from English and Urdu newspapers.  The findings of the research reveal that the representation of COVID- 19 related issues varies in English and Urdu newspapers.  The most frequently occurred themes in English newspapers about the representation of covid19 related issues include economic downfall, danger to the worlds’ economy, the clash between America and China, delays in vaccine production, and food and health insecurity at national and international levels. On contrary, the Urdu newspapers highlighted the issues related to corruption, the oil crisis, a satire on the general masses for not observing SOPs, a satire on health ministry, and poverty increase because of lockdown policies. The research contends that semiotic discourses are the best sites for ideological investment and are designed keeping in view the target audience.

scholarly journals America in Pakistani Print Media: A Semiotic Discourse Analysis based Study of Pak-Us Relationship

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Muhammad Akber Sajid ◽  
Muhammad Riaz Khan
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Print Media ◽  
Time Span ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Qualitative Research Design

Print media semiotic discourses are one of the best sites for ideological investment and their role is very significant in the production and dissemination of certain ideology. The aim of the present study is to critically decode the semiotic discourse(s) of Pakistani English newspaper DAWN (daily) with special reference to the representation of Pak- Us relationship through the analysis of the semiotics discourses. The data for the present research has been collected from the mentioned newspaper. The time span for data collection ranges from October 2018 to December 2018. Out of ten (10) caricatures which represent Pakistan attempting to survive at its own rather than depending on America one was purposively selected for linguistic and semiotic analyses. The study is descriptive and utilizes qualitative research design. For this purpose, the researchers have devised an amended research model by drawing upon Fairclough (1995), Kress (2010) and Kruger’s (2000) research models to analyse linguistic, semiotic and focus group discussions data. The semiotic analysis has also been validated by incorporating the remarks of focus group participants. Based on the analysis of data the study concludes that noting is absolute in politics as far as Pak- Us relations through semiotic discourses are concerned. Additionally, the research reveals that print media semiotic discourses work insidiously to represent socio- political changes by employing linguistic and meta-linguistic devices and techniques.

scholarly journals Image of Muslim Women and Media Discursivity: A Case Study of the Washington Post’s Discourses

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-129
Author(s):  
Fatima Farooq ◽  
Muhammad Akbar Sajid ◽  
Fasiha Maryam
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Print Media ◽  
Muslim Women ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Media Representation ◽  
Washington Post ◽  
The World ◽  
Media Discourses ◽  
Number Game

Print media representation about Islam and Muslims has never been ideology free especially post 9/11. A war of words has ever been there between non-Muslim west and Muslims. The dichotomy of Otherisation divides the world into two poles i.e. good vs. evil. Similarly, the present research critically decodes discourse of articles published in an American newspaper i.e. ‘The Washington Post’ about representation of Muslim women. The data has been collected from the newspapers’ articles which appeared from June 2019 to December 2019. The study employs Fairclough’s (1993) model of Critical Discourse Analysis. The analytical categories of the mentioned model include representation, metaphor, lexicalization, back/fore grounding, in/out group and number game. The data has been analysed at the levels of word, sentence and discourse. The analysis of the data reveals that Muslim women are represented stereotypically through the discourse of the articles of the mentioned newspaper   as oppressed, narrow minded, hijabbed, and deviation from norm. Moreover, according to western perception and representation of this American newspaper they are contriving to harm civilized West by introducing new system of caliphate to disturb the activities of civilized world. The study concludes that print media discourses act as distorting prism to represent a desired version of reality about Islam and Muslim women to shape the mindset of the target audience accordingly.

scholarly journals Politics, Ideology and Print Media: A CDA of Newspapers’ Headlines

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-59
Author(s):  
Muhammad Akbar Sajid ◽  
Behzad Anwar ◽  
Muhammad Ashraf
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Print Media ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
News Item ◽  
Political Event ◽  
Political Ideologies ◽  
Media Discourses ◽  
Existing Data

The present study critically decodes the headlines of Pakistani-English newspapers to locate linguistic spin employing different political ideologies in the desired manner by the controlling groups. The headlines which appeared in the daily ‘Dawn’ and ‘Nation’ newspapers during the year 2014 have been categorised into various themes such as theme of politics, nationalism, internationalism, terrorism, and economics but in the present study, the researchers have only focused on the headlines carrying the topic of politics. In this regard, two headlines from each newspaper about the theme of politics have been randomly selected and analysed by employing Dijk’s (2006) analytical framework of critical discourse analysis (CDA). Additionally, the existing model of Dijk has been amended in accordance with the nature of the existing data. Therefore, four headlines from each newspaper randomly selected carrying political themes have been analysed to explore how different discursive techniques employed in the coinage of newspaper headlines (mis)represent the same political event differently. The researchers have investigated the print media coverage of the same event in both the newspapers’ headlines to lay bare how different discursive techniques are employed to represent the same news item by different ideological groups to propagate desired political ideologies. The findings of the study highlight that different discursive moves are used by print media to represent the same event differently to propagate desired ideology. That is how print media discourses represent certain people belonging to in/out-groups.

scholarly journals Pseudo-patriotic Undertone of Unity Discourse in Nigeria’s Print Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-214
Author(s):  
Ahmed Tanimu Jibril ◽  
Afida Mohamad Ali ◽  
Zalina Mohamad Kasim ◽  
Chan Mei Yuit
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Print Media ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
National Unity ◽  
The People ◽  
National Symbols ◽  
Diverse Society

The realisation of genuine national unity within its ethnically diverse society has always been the primary challenge facing Nigeria since its Independence in 1960. This study investigated the discursive recontextualisation of national unity through newspaper congratulatory announcements (NCAs) within Nigeria’s ethnically diverse society, focusing on the pseudopatriotic undertones of the privately sponsored NCAs. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) and the agenda-setting theory informed the theoretical underpinning of the study. The data is drawn from four major dailies, covering the period between 2011 and 2016. Multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA) and the visual grammar (VG) are used as analytical methods to examine 97 privately sponsored NCAs. Dominant themes in the NCAs are highlighted along with the type of national unity projected in the NCAs. The analysis revealed that, in the name of promoting unity, private individuals and global conglomerates utilize pseudo acts to boost profits, enhance customer index, and construct their corporate image in the eyes of the ruling regimes and the general public in their host communities. It was also found that the envisioned future of the country as a united reality appears to contradict the common perception and lived experiences of the people. This study is meant to highlight the way certain ideologies are promoted and further interests are realised through the print media in the name of pseudo-patriotism. Further research may investigate comparable representations likely found in other newspaper genres as well as additional semiotic resources such as Nigeria’s Civil War artefacts and monuments, statues, and other national symbols. Keywords Pseudo-patriotism; newspaper congratulatory announcements; unity; multimodal critical discourse analysis; Nigeria

scholarly journals Dangerous or political? Kenyan youth negotiating political agency in the age of ‘new terrorism’

2021 ◽  
pp. 175063522110284
Author(s):  
Miraji Hassan Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Political Agency ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Violent Extremism ◽  
The Media ◽  
New Terrorism

This article examines how the online Kenyan press constructs ‘radicalization’ and how youth challenge these constructions. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) through NVivo, the author analyzed two corpora, one of news texts and the second composed of transcripts from two focus group discussions conducted with youth in Mombasa. The analysis shows the media persistently depoliticize youth by constructing them as a dangerous ‘Other’. In contrast, youth challenge this image by claiming political agency through (re)defining their identities using language and material practices. The construction of actors in discourses of radicalization highlights a specific understanding of radicalism and violence, and impacts framing of the Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) agenda. The author concludes by showing the implications of the different constructions of youth identities and how youth legitimately enact agency within these bounds. This article raises crucial questions on the practices of meaning-making by individuals and media actors.

Fenomena Arab Spring dalam Wacana Qatar Debate

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Mohammad Dzulkifli
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sentence Patterns ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Semantic Element ◽  
Social Views ◽  
The Arab Spring

<p><strong>This article aims to describe the Arab Spring phenomenon through critical discourse analysis of the Qatar Debate. This research is a qualitative descriptive study with the note-taking method. The results of the study show that the structure of the discourse contained in the Qatar debate consists of several structures. First, the macrostructure that contains thematic elements or general themes, namely about ‘Arab Spring has failed’. Second, is the superstructure which contains schematic elements referring to the system and the rules of the game in the turn of speech. Third, the microstructure contains elements of semantics, syntax, stylistics, rhetoric, and metaphors. The semantic element of the Qatar debate shows the uses of language that aims to rever to connotative meanings. Syntactically, the Qatari debaters are dominant using active sentence patterns and noun sentences (jumlah ismiyah). From the stylistic aspect, both teams have their own style of language, as the pro team uses a lot of declarative styles while the counter team tends to use an interrogative style. The rhetorical and metaphorical elements are used a few times but not in large portions. This study also shows the different views of the two teams from two countries that represent the social views of the people in their respective countries towards the Arab Spring phenomenon.</strong></p><p><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong> – <em>Arab Spring, Critical Discourse Analyst, Qatar Debate</em></p>

Witnessing in the echo chamber: From counter-discourses in print media to counter-memories of Argentina’s state terrorism

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1036-1057
Author(s):  
Muireann Prendergast
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Memory Studies ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Academic Scholarship ◽  
State Terrorism ◽  
Echo Chamber ◽  
Media Discourses ◽  
The Relationship

While the importance of journalism in memory studies has often been overlooked in academic scholarship, media discourses can be considered ‘memory’s precondition’ on both active and passive levels. First, journalists record events as they happen building on narratives and testimonies. Second, sometimes decades later, these can be invoked in legal and social post-dictatorship processes. Applying the theoretical framework of critical discourse analysis to memory studies, this research explores the relationship between counter-journalism and counter-memories as a response to and rejection of the ‘echo chamber’ of authoritarian discourse which dominated the mainstream media and promoted official memory during Argentina’s last dictatorship. The methodological approach of the study is mixed, combining qualitative synchronic-diachronic text analysis with a corpus analysis of concordance lines to trace strategies of counter-discourse in two newspapers which opposed the dictatorship. The motivations of their editor-journalists for challenging official discourse and institutional memory in the climate of state terrorism are framed in the context of Margalit’s ‘moral witnessing’.

scholarly journals Representation of immigrants in New Zealand print media: A critical discourse analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Neda Salahshour
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Print Media ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Economic Resource ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Entry Points

<p>Representation of Immigrants in New Zealand Print Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis  New Zealand is often perceived as one of the most diverse countries in terms of its population, with “more ethnicities in New Zealand than there are countries in the world” (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). According to the 2013 census, 39% of people who live in Auckland, New Zealand’s most immigrant-populated city, were born overseas. In such a setting, the issue of social harmony becomes important. Media institutions hold power and therefore their representations play a significant role in how immigrants are perceived and whether they are embraced and welcomed or resisted. It is for this reason that media discourse deserves attention.  Research in this area in the context of New Zealand has been limited and furthermore has leaned towards content analysis or a purely qualitative analysis of a specific diaspora. Addressing these issues, my research aims to gain a better understanding of how immigrants are discursively constructed in the New Zealand Herald newspaper during the years 2007 and 2008. Given that the Global Financial Crisis began to make its presence felt in 2008, this study also sought to investigate expected discrepancies in the representation of immigrants during economically challenging times.  Grounded within a critical approach, this study adopts methodic triangulation; that is, the data is analysed using two complementary analytical frameworks, namely that of corpus-assisted discourse analysis (Baker, KhosraviNik, Krzyzanowski, McEnery, & Wodak, 2008) and the Discourse-Historical Approach (Reisigl & Wodak, 2009). Using these two frameworks, I use statistical information as entry points into the data and explore significant collocations which contribute to the construction of dominant representations. This analysis is followed by an in-depth analysis of systematically sampled news articles with the aim of identifying the ii various discursive and argumentation strategies commonly employed in print media.  The findings from both analyses point to a rather ambivalent representation of immigrants. On the one hand, immigrants are constructed as being qualified and playing an important role in filling skill shortages in New Zealand. This positive construction depicts immigrants as an economic resource which ought to be capitalized. In addition, liquid metaphors, previously argued to dehumanize immigrants and construct them as uncontrollable (KhosraviNik, 2009) are surprisingly used in my data to construct the immigration of large numbers of immigrants to New Zealand as essential. On the other hand, immigrants are also constructed as threateningly Other or passive victims. Therefore, immigrants are not only constructed as beneficial to New Zealand society but are also represented as being problematic.  This study identifies a unique representation of immigrants in the New Zealand Herald which could perhaps be explained by the unique socio-political and geographical context of the country. The triangulation and methodic rigour of this study also ensure that the findings are generalizable to the whole dataset and contribute to current understandings of immigrant representation and approaches to the study of discourse and representation.</p>

scholarly journals Written Text on Pakistani Vehicles: A Critical Discourse Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-57
Author(s):  
Sidra Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Three Dimensional Model ◽  
Written Text ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social

Linguistically, the word ‘language’ has shifted into ‘discourse’ which is a social phenomenon not only to express the thoughts but also to reflect the mindset and contexts of a specific community. The purpose of this study is to examine the slogans written on Pakistani automobiles and to understand the logic behind the social and cultural affiliations of these slogans. Pakistani culture of the art of making pictures and written phrases, poetic verses and imperative sentences on vehicles is famous all over the world. The study has analysed the writings found on vehicles, and although these writings might look trivial on the automobiles, they address various social issues. The Three-Dimensional Model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) by Fairclough (2001) is used as a theoretical framework that explains the study at three levels: lexical, syntactic patterns, interpretations, and social practices. The discourses written on the vehicles are characterised into different categories, which are life’s mission statements, loud messages, mind baffling messages, everyday life annoyances, provoking statements, and religious looms. Twenty images and pictures have been captured from vehicles as a random sample of this study. The results reveal the mindset behind these discourses. They are used to highlight social issues which Pakistan faces, being a developing country. In short, the study discloses the strong link between the vehicles and the people using them to convey messages to the society which can bring harmony among the public. The current study is limited to only Pakistani motor vehicles.

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