Evaluation, metaphors and the ideal reader in media discourse
LISE-LOTTE HOLMGREEN
TORBEN VESTERGAARD
Aalborg University, Denmark
E-mail: holmgreen@hum.aau.dk, tvest@hum.aau.dk
Introduction
This presentation: Analysis of linguistic and conceptual devices in Danish print media
that may influence public attitudes to biotech.
o 17 news articles from Politiken (January-September 2004: Lifting of moratorium)
o Analysis of the relation between evaluation, metaphor and the construction of
writer-reader relationship
o Several theories to establish this relation:
Evaluation/Appraisal
Conceptual Metaphor Theory
New Rhetoric (audience)
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Evaluation/Appraisal (Martin & White 2005)
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…
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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.
The 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 > 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 biotechgiant’s name does not figure on the product.
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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
Gensplejsede planter kan krydse med ukrudtsplanter… 12.03
GM plants can cross-pollinate with weeds.
Rapsfrø kan ligge i mange år i jorden… 12.03
Rape seeds can lie in the soil for many years.
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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 opponent’s values (here: that of advocates)
From contrast between ecological/conventional or GM 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.
>> proliferation should be prevented completely
Definite Noun Group
Det nye GMO problem… 28.03.
The new GMO problem…
>> 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.
>>It 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.
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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 Government’s 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.
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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.
>>Using 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.
>> 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.
>> There should not be large quantities of GM soy in non-GM feed.
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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.
25.06
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 Denmark’s 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 country’s 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 set its own private limits as to how much GMO it will accept in
GM-free feed.
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Concluding remarks
o Risk and danger prevalent associations with GMO
o Assessment of human capabilities and behaviour less in focus
o Multinationals construed negatively (‘giants’)
o Citizen/ordinary farmer construed positively
o Objects of discussion, GMOs and ecological crops, much up for discussion
o GMOs assessed negatively
o Ecological crops construed positively
o Fundamental dichotomy between good/bad
o Natural/artificial + Progress/stagnation
o Metaphors salient in strengthening opponents’ side of debate (reference to
basic values)
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Concluding remarks, cont’d
o The ideal reader? (of Politiken news articles)
o Suspicious of big industry
o Cares about the environment
o Cares about the consumer
o Worries that change means change for the worse
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