Abstract:
This paper examines the relationships between language and
ideology and how ideology is constructed and presented via
different language choices in English editorials published in
different socio-cultural contexts. Van Dijk’s (2000a) ideological
square in terms of representation of the self and other was
applied to the editorials. Through a comparative analysis of
Iranian, Turkish and Saudi Arabian newspaper editorials with
different ideologies, the study attempts to reveal how these
ideologies are represented differently in the texts regarding
civil crisis in Syria in 2012. It aims to show how writers, by
using various strategies such as evil doing, humanitarianism,
cause of crisis, and history as lesson manipulate the realizations
of agency and power in the representation of action to produce
particular meanings which are not always explicit for all
readers. Data gathered for the analysis were 45 editorials from
three newspapers of Tehran Times, Today Zaman, and Arab
News during the first half of the year 2012 (15 from each).
Careful selection of 6 editorials for qualitative analysis
indicates that the three newspapers focus on different aspects
of reality and, by using various language strategies, influence
readers' understanding of the events.
Machine summary:
Through a comparative analysis of Iranian, Turkish and Saudi Arabian newspaper editorials with different ideologies, the study attempts to reveal how these ideologies are represented differently in the texts regarding civil crisis in Syria in 2012.
Data gathered for the analysis were 45 editorials from three newspapers of Tehran Times, Today Zaman, and Arab News during the first half of the year 2012 (15 from each).
The study analyzes the English editorials published in three contexts of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey to see how they present realities of Syria crises according to their own ideologies and by deploying linguistic strategies.
To achieve this aim, three newspapers from three contexts of various and even opposite ideologies were selected (Tehran times from Iran, Arab News from Saudi Arabia, and Today Zaman from Turkey).
5. 2 Tehran times Iranian news’ prevalent theme in Syrian crises is on the one hand legitimizing Assad and on the other hand delegitimizing opposition groups and their backers including Western and Arab countries.
(Tehran Times, 17/2/2012) One interesting point is that, as above examples show, in the eyes of Iranian newspapers, those who are fighting against Al-Assad are not Syrian common people but terrorist groups supported by United States, Saudi Arabia, and some other West and Arab governments.
(Today Zaman, 1/11/2012) Considering two general strategies of legitimization and delegitimization proposed by Van Dijk (2000a), text analysis of Arab news samples revealed that Arab writers mostly utilize delegitimization strategy to demonize Assad and his supporting countries Iran and Russia.