MEDIA DISCOURSE

.

Overview:

• Definition of Discourse• Critical Discourse Analysis• Media Discourse Two primary types

• Media Focus• In NEWS• Discourse Influences on Micro and Macro

levels• In newspaper

• Media Interaction & Casual Conversation• Exchange structures• Pragmatics markers• Hedging• Discourse markers• Response tokens • Vague Language

• Electronic media• Background• Criteria Form Content Technique • Genre Drama Talk shows Songs News

What is discourse?

Discourse is the use of language both in written and spoken.

Discourse is neither absolutely homogenous nor absolutely heterogeneous.

Discourse

• Discourse is a group of sentences which link one proposition to another one and makes a coherent unit of the sentences.

Critical Discourse Analysis

Critical Discourse Analysis aims to help reveal some of the hidden and ‘out of sight’ values,

positions, and perspectives.CDA explores the connection between the use of

language and the social and political contexts in which it occurs

Media Discourse

Media discourse refers to interactions that take place through a broadcast platform, whether spoken or written, in which the discourse is oriented to a non-present reader, listener or viewer.

Two primary types :

Written:of written texts include newspapers and

magazinesSpoken:

Radio and television, News broadcasts, Drama

Media Focus:

• Immediacy: Specific actions and events• Drama: Violence, crisis or conflict, extremist

behaviors, outrageous acts.• Simplicity: Clear-cut opinions, images, major

personalities, two-sided conflicts.• Ethnocentrism: ‘Our’ beliefs, myths and

symbols, ‘Our’ suffering, the brutality of some ‘Oth.

In NEWS:

• Government conflicts • Disagreements• Decisions• Proposals• Functions• Protests• Crimes, scandals• Investigations and disasters.

Discourse Influences on Micro and Macro Levels:

• Micro Level Influences: • Personal characteristics, professional

background, personal attitudes and professional role, conception of media workers are micro level influences that affect upon media content.

Macro Level Influences:

• Individuals, organizations, interest groups, public relations practitioners, government etc macro level influences that affect upon media content.

• Sources that provide news to media organizations sometimes withhold information or lie.

In newspaper:

• Based on the editor’s own experiences, attitudes, and expectations.

• Journalists sometimes follow their personal agenda that influences on the content.

• The selection or rejection of stories..

Media Interaction & Casual Conversation

• When a presenter or guest or interviewee interact on television or radio they do so with the knowledge not only that they have been over heard but also they are having a conversation in front of audience.

• Involvement of audience. • Institutional setting • Turn taking rights• Includes host, interviewer, interviewee, presenter,

guests and callers

Exchange structures

• Both media interaction and casual talk comprise:

• speaker turns • make up exchange structure

• Two types of exchange:1. initiation and response 2. initiation, response and feedback

.

In media discourse but two way exchange method is more common i.e.

initiation and response.

Pragmatics markers:

• Pragmatic markers can be described as those constructions, such as you know, I mean, you see, well, yeah, that are present in speech to support interaction but do not generally add any specific semantic meaning to the message.

• In media discourse these are use widely to explain certain points.

Hedging

• We use hedges to soften what we say or write.• an important part of polite conversation. • They make what we say less direct

• It involves:• tense and aspect,• modal expressions• modal verbs and adverbs• vague language such as sort of, any kind of, like and

some verbs.

Discourse markers

• Discourse marker is a word or phrase that is relatively syntax-independent and does not change the truth conditional meaning of the sentence.

• For example: oh", "well", "now", "then", "you know", and "I mean", and the connectives "so", "because", "and", "but", and "or".

Response tokens

• Response tokens are the interjection that an addressee makes in response to the speaker utterances.

• Examples are mm, ummhmm, yeah, o really, wow, that’s right, absolutely,

Vague Language

• It means one is not using precise language. Vague language is basically unclear and not giving a full picture

• For example: You write 'I walked across the road'. This is

vague. Precise would be 'I sprinted/trotted/trudged/jogged across the road‘.

• Electronic Media Discourse

Electronic media

• Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical energy for the end user to access the content.

Background

• The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority was formed in 2002.

• The first television station began broadcasting from Lahore in November 1963.

• The government-owned Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) was formed on 14 August 1947.

• At independence, Pakistan had radio stations in Dhaka, Lahore, and Peshawar. A major programmed of expansion saw new stations open at Karachi and Rawalpindi in 1948.

Criteria of electronic media discourse

• Form: • -external appearance of a clearly defined area• Content:• -the subjects or topics covered• Technique -

method of performance; way of accomplishing.

Genre in electronic media discourse

• Drama• Talk shows• Songs• news

Drama

• Depiction of society• Represent whatever audience wants to hear

and watch• Likeness differ on the basis of gender, age and

social class.• FEMALES – musicals, love story/romance• Kids– Animations, animals etc • MALES- action/adventure, gangster, war

Themes

• Marriage• Wealth• Money• Love stories• Necromancy• Inferiority complex in women

Examples of discourse in Pakistani dramas

• Titles of dramas are deceptive. For example• “band kirkion ka pechy” and “ mery mehrban”.• Criticism on society• typical quarrel between mother in law and

daughter in law.• “Tum bhut manhoos ho.”

• It also shows1. hate.2. violence.3. social class.4. police oppression.

Talk shows

• Pakistani talk shows deal1. politically mostly2. violence3. police4. social affairs5. corruption6. religion

• Opening of show with the subject line such as• “seyasi aasman par bad’gumanion key badal

kab ghaiyab hongey?”• The skilled and bold personality of anchor

person raises people’s voice and clearly asks the real point of the crisis.

• Aap Batain-e-na Qom Sunna Chahti hai…

• The ruling feels shame while speaking bluff in live shows before the millions of the citizens. When they are not able to give logic or reason.

• Main aap ko kal bataaon ga… iska jawab nahi de sakta….naam nahi bata sakta…

• Politicians gave answers of their questions in a very logical way. They deal people technicaly. They also uses proverbs in their disscussions. For example

• “ ount ka mun me ziry wali bat” ask burning questions to politicions.• “Fauzia Wahab sahiba aapkey colleague

kehty hein key muamla abhe nahi nimta….”

News

• The topics of news on TV channels are mostly deals with

1. inner city news2. gang culture3. drugs4. guns5. violence6. political affairs and international news

• The headlines of news are burning and anchors speak in a very satirical tone. For example

• “Police ihalcar tez doop or lo me jalty ry”• Titles stand alone; no explanation is given for

example• “iltaf hussain ka mulk bar me darny katam krny

ka ilan”• “mulk bhar me garm havaon or shadeed garmi

ka raj”

Music

• The themes of Pakistani music are• love• marriage• pleasure• fun

• In Pakistani music we have• tappe• sufiana kalam• maiaye classical songs.

Examples

• “chalo koi gal nai chalo koi gal nai”• “jugni”.