English Functions and Ideologies in Newspaper Editorials

Abstract

Language functions empower media in 'knowledge management.' It reveals the media construction of policies, nations, peoples, communities, and individuals. Scholars have developed critical discourse analytical tools for this purpose. First, they show the theoretical constructs to approach texts for these purposes. Second, they investigate 'language in use and language in a social context.' According to experts, the CDA analysis will probe language organisation and linguistic units; a text is studied in contexts and with co-texts at both micro and macro-levels of the genre as linguistic and social practices. It is tied to social relations and identities, power, inequality, and social struggle. Thus, this paper undertakes a case study of The Hindu Editorial, 'Beyond the admission imbroglio,' published on Friday the 4th of May, 2007. It investigates how language is utilised by the media to establish or change the existing knowledge base for the empowerment of interested parties or to control the access to knowledge and resources by the underprivileged communities. Therefore, this paper attempts to identify linguistic structures and strategies such as semantic moves, nominalization, passivisation and topicalisation, used in media discourse to communicate visible or latent ideologies and attitudes in discourse construction and consumption. The text projects dichotomy and binary positions using functional English, discursive and linguistic construction reinforcing the relationship between corporate power and ideology, and naturalised group-based cultural and exclusive nationalism cloaked by constitutional and inclusive nationalism. The media discourse is oriented towards legitimisation, political accommodation, and ideological management.