Tracing context in the discourse of the mediafeatures of language-in-use in the British press
- Mateo Martínez, José (coord.)
- Yus Ramos, Francisco (coord.)
ISSN: 0214-4808, 2171-861X
Year of publication: 2006
Issue Title: Linguistics and the Media
Issue: 19
Pages: 149-168
Type: Article
More publications in: Alicante Journal of English Studies / Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses: RAEI
Abstract
The language of newspapers is usually explored by linguists because it is undoubtedly the most widely genre read in Western countries. Systemic linguistics provides useful tools for analysing newswriting, identifying grammatical and lexical elements that are functional for achieving particular purposes in media discourse. Using Halliday's approach to context (1978, 1985a, 1989a, 1989b, 1989c, 1994), and Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004, the aim of this article is to explore to what extent situational and cultural context determines the linguistic features used in two British national newspapers, The Times and The Sun. More specifically, through a systemic functional approach to language, I illustrate how newswriting is itself structured for a particular use and how register variables impact into that language use.