TTLA: Analysis of editorial discourse (based on Nhân Dân newspaper data from 1964-1975)

ABSTRACT OF THE DOCTORAL THESIS

Author's name:Nguyen Thi Hong Nga

Thesis title:Analysis of editorial discourse (based on Nhân Dân newspaper data from 1964-1975)

Dissertation field: Linguistics

Major: Linguistics Code: 62.22.02.40

1. Purpose and scope of the thesis

The aim of this thesis is to analyze discourse organization strategies under the influence of ideology, experience, and interpersonal functions, in a way that integrates socio-cultural aspects into the discourse construction process, and to explain this process through linguistic analysis based on MAK Halliday's systems functional theory. Simultaneously, it clarifies the relationship between texts and social practices conveyed by discourse experience, through which humans use language to organize and decode texts.

The subject of this dissertation is the editorial discourse of the Nhan Dan newspaper during the period 1964-1975.

2. Research methods used

- Discourse analysis method: This thesis analyzes editorial discourse in its functional process, examining linguistic characteristics from structural perspectives, semantic organization, discourse structure in interaction with context, communication channel, communication purpose, and the speaker/receiver of the discourse.

- Methods of logical and semantic analysis; descriptive methods in linguistics with techniques such as distribution, direct component analysis, contextual analysis, etc.

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main Results

- The thesis surveyed, classified, and described the formal structure of editorial discourse, the way in which the message of discourse is organized as a communication strategy, with typical characteristics ranging from formal structure to semantic organizational structure.

- The thesis also analyzes the context of use and explains its function as an important pragmatic driving force in fulfilling the interpersonal, ideological, and textual functions of editorial discourse.

- The thesis identifies the types of relationships and networks of argumentative relationships in editorial discourse through typical linguistic methods specific to genre, in order to reflect, convey, and influence the recipient and achieve the highest communication effectiveness.

3.2. Main Conclusion

- Based on Halliday's survey of editorial discourse according to its three super-functions, the thesis has identified ways in which media communication demonstrates the impact and power of journalistic discourse in controlling and shaping society. Within the ideology and social context in which language functions, it reveals the ideological-linguistic relationship and the adaptability, impactful function, and interpersonal nature of the genre of political discourse.

- By accurately identifying the relationships between the communicative roles, the speaker selects personal pronouns to reveal interpersonal relationships, thereby employing a polite strategy to widen/narrow the gap between the parties. In the process of organizing the discourse, interpersonal methods are used simultaneously, interwoven, and seamlessly integrated by the speaker: personal pronouns, modal combinations, speech acts, grammatical structures, etc.

- From a macro-structural perspective, the way discourse organizes its message leads to a systematic and holistic view when organizing and processing texts at all levels and in all text genres; based on the marking of themes/thematic systems within the text, the text processor can organize and adjust the text to become systematic and coherent.

Through an analysis of the editorial discourse of the Nhan Dan newspaper during the period 1964-1975,

SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name: Nguyen Thi Hong Nga

Thesis title: Analysis of editorial discourse (in Nhan Dan newspapers on the period 1964-1975)

Major: Linguistics

Sub-major: Linguistics Code: 62.22.02.40

The name of postgraduate institution: University of Social Sciences and Humanities – VNU-Hanoi.

1. Thesis purpose and object:

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and to analyze the discourse organization strategy under the impact of ideology, experience and interpersonal function towards a combination of socio-cultural aspects into the discourse formation process and to explain that process by the language analysis based on MAK Halliday's Systematic Functional Linguistic Theory. It also looks into the relationship between documents and social reality conveyed by discourse experiences, through which human use languages ​​to organize and interprete documents.

The object of the study is the discourse of Nhan Dan newspapers' editorials on the period 1964-1975.

2. Research methods

- Discourse analysis method: The dissertation analyzes the editorial discourse in its functioning with its typical linguistic characteristics from the aspects of semantical organization and structure, discourse structure in the connection with context, communication channels, communication purposes and discourse producer/recipient.

- Logical and semantic analysis method; descriptive method in linguistics with some analysis procedures, such as: distribution analysis, immediate constitute analysis (IC-analysis), contextual analysis, etc.

3. Major results and conclusions

3.1. Major results

- The dissertation investigates, classifies and describes the formative structure of editorial discourses and message organization methods of the discourses as a communication strategy, with its typical characteristics from formative structures to semantical structures.

- The thesis also analyzes context and explains function as an important factor to perform the interpersonal, ideological and textual functions of editorial discourses.

- The thesis points out the types of relations and argumentative relationship networks in editorial disscourses through typical categorizing linguistic methods to reflect, convey and influence recipes for maximum communicative effiency.

3.2. Major conclusions

- Based on the analysis of the editorial discourses as per Halliday's three superfunctions, the thesis points out the communicative methods that reflect the impacts and the power of editorial discourses to control and guide the society. In the ideology and social context that the language is functioning, the power of the language, the ability of change, the impacting function, and the interpersonal function of the editorial discourses are highlighted.

- By clearly identifying the relationships of the communicative roles, the producer chooses the appropriate pronouns to reflect the interpersonal relationships, and uses politeness strategy to expand/shorten the gap among the participants. In discourse organizations, the interpersonal methods such as pronouns, modal combinations, action words, model structure, etc. are used consecutively, flexibly and intertwiningly by the producer.

- From the macro structure point of view, the discourse's message organization method brings about a systematic and comprehensive perspective when organizing and dealing with documents at all levels and all types of documents; basing on the highlight of the topics/systems topic within the document, the document can be reorganized and adjusted for better structure and more systemized.

The study of Nhan Dan newspapers' editorial discourses on the period 1964-1975 confirms that to analyze the functions of a discourse, an analysis of the characteristics of the context in which the discourse functions are prerequisite.