Evaluation, metaphors and the ideal reader in media discourse

1
Evaluation, metaphors and the ideal reader in
media discourse

• LISE-LOTTE HOLMGREEN
• TORBEN VESTERGAARD
• Aalborg University, Denmark
• E-mail holmgreen_at_hum.aau.dk, tvest_at_hum.aau.dk

2
Introduction

• This presentation Analysis of linguistic and
  conceptual devices in Danish print media
• that may influence public attitudes to biotech.
• 17 news articles from Politiken
  (January-September 2004 Lifting of moratorium)
• Analysis of the relation between evaluation,
  metaphor and the construction of writer-reader
  relationship
• Several theories to establish this relation
• Evaluation/Appraisal
• Conceptual Metaphor Theory
• New Rhetoric (audience)

3
Evaluation/Appraisal

• Attitude (deontic stance)
• Affect (personal feelings)
• Judgement (of people)
• Appreciation (of things)
• Engagement (attribution, evidentiality, epistemic
  stance)
• Graduation

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Attitude Affect

• Metonymy
• USA og andre store producenter er sure over
  29.01
• The US and other major producers are annoyed
  that
• Nominalization
• forbrugernes skepsis kan bremse de
  gensplejsede planter.13.03
• Consumer scepticism can halt the use of GM
  plants.
• Presupposition
• I fredags lykkedes det for miljøorganisationen at
  få to ud af tre forhandlere til 15.03
• On Friday the environment organization managed to
  make two out of three dealers

5
Attitude Judgement

• Det er ikke ærligt over for befolkningen 12.03.
• That is not being honest with people
• Talsmanden afviser, at kommissionen løber fra
  sit ansvar. 09.09.
• he spokesman denies that the Commission are
  fleeing from their responsibility
• forbrugerne er slet ikke klar til, at der
  kommer genmodificeret majs på hylderne
• 27.04.
• Consumers are not at all prepared for having GM
  maize on the shelves.

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Factual statement gt evaluation

• Den multinationale virksomhed Monsanto har
  finansieret alle udviklingsomkostninger
• ved produktionen af den delvist genmodificerede
  svenske øl, der netop har ramt det
• danske marked, men biotekgigantens navn optræder
  ikke på produktet. 15.03.
• The multinational corporation Monsanto has
  financed all development costs for the
• production of the partially genetically modified
  Swedish beer which has just hit the Danish
• market, but the biotechgiants name does not
  figure on the product.

7
Attitude Appreciation

• Positive
• Gensplejsede planter kan begrænse brugen af
  sprøjtegifte og dermed gavne miljøet
• 12.03.
• GM plants can reduce the use of herbicides to
  the benefit of the environment.
• Negative
• Rapsfrø kan ligge i mange år i jorden 12.03
• Rape seeds can lie in the soil for many years.
• Gensplejsede planter kan krydse med
  ukrudtsplanter 12.03
• GM plants can cross-pollinate with weeds.

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Metaphors as argument and evaluation

• Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff Johnson
  1980)
• Coherent conceptual systems (cognitive vs.
  linguistic)
• Structuring and understanding of abstract
  concepts (source to target domain)
• Unconscious choice
• New Rhetoric (Perelman 2005)
• Metaphor as conscious communicative and
  rhetorical choice
• Focus on audience and shared values
• Emphasis on elements of common appeal (
  effective line of argument)

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Argumentation in pairs of contrast, I

• Natural/Artificial (good/bad)
• Questioning or discrediting of opponents values
  (here that of advocates)
• From contrast between ecological/conventional
  farming
• Implicit instead of explicit assessment
• Men den frie natur kan man jo heller ikke holde
  gensplejsning ude af. Den vil også blive
• inficeret. 12.03
• But it is impossible to keep genetic
  modification out of the free natural environment.
  It will also be infected.
• Ifølge det nye lovforslag skal naboen med de
  genmodificerede marker betale regningen
• for den forurenede afgrøde. 12.03
• According to the new Bill, the neighbour with
  the genetically modified fields must pay the bill
  for the polluted crop.

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Argumentation in pairs of contrast, II

• Progress/Stagnation
• Positive/negative relation turned upside-down
• Perceived risks and dangers
• Unconspicous/conventional, but structure
  understanding
• Dansk landbrug står ikke i kø for at så
  gensplejsede planter på markerne, selvom
• politikerne i Bruxelles og Folketinget er i færd
  med at bane vejen. 13.03
• Danish agriculture is not queuing up for the
  sowing of genetically modified plants, although
  politicians in Bruxelles and the Danish Folketing
  are paving the way.
• I Forbrugerrådet er man rigtig ked af, at det
  ikke lykkedes fødevareministeren at
• blokere for de genmodificerede majs. 27.04
• In the Danish Consumer Council they are really
  sorry that the Danish Minister of Food and
  Agriculture did not succeed in blocking
  genetically modified corn.

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The ideal reader

• Hunston 1994 191
• Expressing evaluation in a text involves both a
  statement of personal judgement and an appeal to
  shared norms and values. In that it creates a
  shared point of view of speaker/writer and
  hearer/reader, its meaning is essentially
  interpersonal.
• Martin and White 2005 152
• Upscaling of attitude frequently acts to
  construe the speaker/writer as maximally
  committed to the value position being advanced
  and hence as strongly aligning the reader into
  that value position.

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Concern for the environment, I

• Negation
• lovgivningen vil ikke fuldstændig hindre
  spredning. 12.03
• This legislation will not prevent
  proliferation completely.
• gtgt proliferation should be prevented completell
• Definite Noun Group
• Det nye GMO problem 28.03.
• The new GMO problem
• gtgt there already is a GMO problem
• Ostensibly non-evaluative clause
• I mange lande kan genmodificerede afgrøder dyrkes
  side om side med konventionelle
• afgrøder. 09.09.
• In many countries GM crops may be grown side
  by side with conventional crops.
• gtgtIt should not be allowed to grow GM crops
  side by side with conventional crops.

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Concern for the environment, II

• Graduation
• It will be almost impossible to prevent
  proliferation.
• There are many environmental problems.
• Denmark suffered a decisive defeat in the EU.

14
Concern for the environment, III

• Metaphorical constructions
• Regeringens forslag indeholder også et krav om
  erstatning til de landmænd, der
• utilsigtet får deres jord forurenet med
  genmodificerede frø 12.03
• The Governments Bill also contains a demand for
  compensation for the farmers whose land is
  inadvertently polluted with genetically modified
  seeds
• Danske forskere advarer nu om en hidtil upåagtet
  trussel ved bestemte gensplejsede
• afgrøder. 28.03
• Danish researchers are now warning of a threat
  with certain GM crops, which was unknown until
  recently.

15
Concern for the consumer

• De genmodificerede planter der er på vej har
  ikke mange fordele for forbrugeren. 08.09
• The GM plants that are on their way do not
  offer the consumer many advantages.
• gtgtUsing GM crops should give the consumer
  advantages.
• Behovet for mærkning af såsæd bliver ellers
  endnu mere udtalt 09.09
• The need for labelling seed grain will be even
  more pronounced.
• gtgt There is already a pronounced need for
  labelling seed grain.
• der er store mængder gensplejset soja I det
  såkaldte non-gmo foder 30.06
• There are large quantities of GM soy in
  so-called non-GM feed.
• gtgt There should not be large quantities of GM
  soy in non-GM feed.

16
Suspicion of big industry, I

• Hvis sukkerfrit tyggegummi er tyggegummi uden
  sukker Så er gmo-frit dyrefoder
• vel dyrefoder uden gmo Skulle man tro. Men
  ikke hos Danmarks største
• foderselskab, Dansk Landbrugs Grovvareselskab
  (DLG), der laver såkaldt gmo-frit foder
• til svin, der ender som særlige gmo-frie grise på
  landets største slagteri, Danish Crown.
• 26.06
• If sugar free chewing gum is chewing gum
  without sugar Then GM free animal feed
• supposedly is animal feed without GMO
  one would think. But not with Denmarks largest
  feed company, Dansk Landbrugs Grovvaresselskab
  (DLG), which produces so-called GM free feed for
  pigs which end up as special GM free pigs in the
  countrys largest slaughter house, Danish Crown.

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Suspicion of big industry, II

• Metaphorical constructions
• Slagteriet har sat sine helt egne grænser for,
  hvor meget gmo det tillader i gmo-frit
• foder. 30.06
• The slaughter house has established its own
  private limits as to how much GMO it will accept
  in GM-free feed.

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Concluding remarks

• Risk and danger prevalent associations with GMO
• Assessment of human capabilities and behaviour
  less in focus
• Multinationals construed negatively (giants)
• Citizen/ordinary farmer construed positively
• Objects of discussion, GMOs and ecological crops,
  much up for discussion
• GMOs assessed negatively
• Ecological crops construed positively
• Fundamental dichotomy between good/bad
• Natural/artificial Progress/stagnation
• Metaphors salient in strengthening opponents
  side of debate (reference to basic values)

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Concluding remarks, contd

• The ideal reader? (of Politiken news articles)
• Suspicious of big industry
• Cares about the environment
• Cares about the consumer
• Worries that change means change for the worse