What is it about?
This study identifies the linguistic and discourse strategies deployed by selected newspapers in representing the BH and other social actors. For data, headline and overline stories are purposively sampled from four newspapers, published from 2011 to 2014, from the northern (Daily Trust and Leadership Nigeria) and southern (The Punch and The Nation) parts of Nigeria. The analysis is guided by a combination of critical discourse analysis and systemic functional linguistics.
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Why is it important?
In all the reports subjected to analysis, 13 representational strategies were identified, while at least 15 tools from Van Leeuwen’s categorisations were used in representing social actors. The newspapers also deployed discourse strategies to manage the voices of social actors, identify and specify the social actors and action, label, condemn BH activities, among others.
Perspectives
This study has been able to identify how reporters and the newspapers set the agenda by orientating their readers to negatively perceive the BH terrorism in Nigeria. It opines that the negative portrayal of the members of the group as terrorists alongside other identity constructions, as identified with the linguistic and discourse tools, goes a long way in proffering a solution to the menace of the group in Nigeria. The identity construction brings consciousness to the readers and Nigerians at large of the capability and strength of the BH.
Dr Ayo A. OSISANWO
University of Ibadan
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Discursive representation of Boko Haram terrorism in selected Nigerian newspapers, Discourse & Communication, April 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1750481316638149.
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