This study describes differences between categories of British newspapers by applying a Systemic Functional analysis to a corpus of newspaper articles. The findings suggest a polarization between newspapers whose language reveals a higher value placed on the readers’ belonging to a community sharing similar opinions, and newspapers whose language places a higher value on the readers’ individualities. The polarization is interpreted by bringing together Bell’s concept of ‘audience design’ and the studies by Basil Bernstein and Ruqayia Hasan on the connections between language, ideology and social context. In line with the Systemic Functional perspective, patterns of variation in language use are explained in terms of contextually and socially motivated semantic principles.


Silvia Samiolo obtained her PhD in English Linguistics in 2009, and held a post-doctoral research grant between 2011 and 2013, at the University of Padua. Her main research interests so far have been Systemic Functional Linguistics and print and online newspaper language.


Table of contents and Preface



ISBN:9788867870677
Collana: Glottologia, Linguistica, Lingue e letterature straniere
Autore: Silvia Samiolo
Prefazione: Maria Teresa Musacchio
Edizione 2014
Stato: Disponibile