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Title Conflicting Ideologies on Terrorism: A Corpus-based Linguistic Analysis of Pakistani and Indian English Newspapers' Editorials

Author(s) Islam Badshah

Abstract Discourses produced in the print media often implicitly represent worldviews that aim to ideologically influence their readers. This research study, therefore, aimed to investigate the conflicting ideologies that are portrayed and propagated in the discourses produced in the print media of Pakistan and India. Specifically, it aimed to inquire into the manner and matter in which the selected editorials of the Pakistani newspaper The News International and the Indian newspaper the Times of India present their own and each other’s countries in relation to terror-related incidents in the subcontinent. Taking theoretical and analytical insights from van Dijk’s Ideological Square Model and Jackson’s Critical Terrorism Studies, a corpus-based discourse analysis of selected editorials from the two leading newspapers was carried out by following a mixed methods research design. The analysis attempted to find significance and meaning in discourses through the comparison and contrast of the representation of the terror-related events taking place in the two countries. The results of the study revealed that editorials of both the newspaper frame their readers as ideologically different social groups with the implicit purpose to widen the two countries’ enmity, show political dominance, and label each other terrorists. Additionally, it was found that the discourses in both the newspapers construct and distribute linguistically conflicting narratives to inculcate the desired ideologies in readers. Through the use of keywords, collocations, pronouns, and binomials, positive self-presentation and negative other-presentation is projected. Also, lexical items, propositions, presuppositions, implications, and semantic moves are employed to highlight the Us and Them ideology. The study has implications for discourses produced in the print media, and calls for harmonizing the current ideological conflict between Pakistan and India to maintain peace in the two countries. Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis, Corpus Linguistics, Ideology, Terrorism, Critical Terrorism

Type Thesis/Dissertation PhD

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2023-07-06

Subject PhD English Linguistics

Publisher Department of English (GS)

Contributor(s) Dr. Ghazala Kausar

Format As per departmental guidelines

Identifier Dr. Khurram Shehzad (PhD English Program Coordinator)

Source PhD

Relation PhD

Coverage PhD

Rights PhD

Category PhD English Linguistics Thesis

Description PhD English Linguistic Thesis