Evaluative Language in Journalistic Discourse Master’s Diploma Thesis
Masaryk University
Faculty of Arts
Department of English and American Studies
English Language and Literature
Bc. Radoslava Pekarová
Evaluative Language in Journalistic Discourse
Master’s Diploma Thesis
Supervisor: Mgr. Jan Chovanec, Ph.D.
2011
I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.
……………………………………………..
Author’s signature
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank to my supervisor Mgr. Jan Chovanec, Ph.D., for his guidance, valuable advice and resources he provided me with.
Table of Contents 1. Introduction 5 2. Evaluation in journalistic discourse 8 2.1 Galtung and Ruge’s (1965) criteria of newsworthiness 10 3. Methods and procedures 23 4. The Appraisal Theory 27 4.1 Classification of appraisal 30 4.2 Analysis 45 4.2.1 Attitude 45 4.2.1.1 Affect – expressing our feelings 46 4.2.1.2 Judgement 48 4.2.1.3 Appreciating things 54 4.2.2 Amplifying attitudes 57 4.2.2.1 Amplifying the force of attitudes 57 4.2.2.2 Sharpening and softening focus 63 4.2.3 Sources of attitudes 65 4.2.3.1 Projecting sources 66 4.2.3.2 Modality 71 4.2.3.3 Concession 74 4.3 Discussion 76 5. Conclusion 83 Bibliography 86 Summary 92 Resumé 94 Appendix 96
Introduction
The thesis focuses on journalistic discourse, namely on evaluative features of journalistic discourse. It draws on Fowler’s (1991) view who challenges the media’s claims of their impartiality. To start with, if we consider the articles which occur in the newspapers – thousands of events occur every day, however, only few of them reach the reader: the newsworthy events must be picked from those which are regarded as not interesting for the readers of the newspapers, and thus here in the very beginning of writing an article evaluation begins. This topic is discussed in the chapter devoted to Galtung and Ruge’s factors which explain on
Faculty of Arts
Department of English and American Studies
English Language and Literature
Bc. Radoslava Pekarová
Evaluative Language in Journalistic Discourse
Master’s Diploma Thesis
Supervisor: Mgr. Jan Chovanec, Ph.D.
2011
I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.
……………………………………………..
Author’s signature
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank to my supervisor Mgr. Jan Chovanec, Ph.D., for his guidance, valuable advice and resources he provided me with.
Table of Contents 1. Introduction 5 2. Evaluation in journalistic discourse 8 2.1 Galtung and Ruge’s (1965) criteria of newsworthiness 10 3. Methods and procedures 23 4. The Appraisal Theory 27 4.1 Classification of appraisal 30 4.2 Analysis 45 4.2.1 Attitude 45 4.2.1.1 Affect – expressing our feelings 46 4.2.1.2 Judgement 48 4.2.1.3 Appreciating things 54 4.2.2 Amplifying attitudes 57 4.2.2.1 Amplifying the force of attitudes 57 4.2.2.2 Sharpening and softening focus 63 4.2.3 Sources of attitudes 65 4.2.3.1 Projecting sources 66 4.2.3.2 Modality 71 4.2.3.3 Concession 74 4.3 Discussion 76 5. Conclusion 83 Bibliography 86 Summary 92 Resumé 94 Appendix 96
Introduction
The thesis focuses on journalistic discourse, namely on evaluative features of journalistic discourse. It draws on Fowler’s (1991) view who challenges the media’s claims of their impartiality. To start with, if we consider the articles which occur in the newspapers – thousands of events occur every day, however, only few of them reach the reader: the newsworthy events must be picked from those which are regarded as not interesting for the readers of the newspapers, and thus here in the very beginning of writing an article evaluation begins. This topic is discussed in the chapter devoted to Galtung and Ruge’s factors which explain on
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