Analysis of Governmental and Non- Governmental Power Struggle Discourse By Arab World Media 2011-2012

Abstract

This study aims to analyze Governmental and Non-Governmental Power Struggle Discourse Produced by Arab World Media during (2011-2012). It aims at demonstrating how powerful group can control less- powerful group in terms of access to the power. To bring to light that media discourse highlight power struggle between the dictatorial governments and oppressed masses and in the service of the powerful elite and state; therefore, discourse has been abused to control people's minds, beliefs and actions and in the interest of dominant groups and against the interest or will of others.

The analysis concentrates on such linguistic means such as critical linguistic approach which is represented in nominalization, the use of pronouns, and diverse lexical choices. These means have been chosen as primary tools for the analysis due to the fact that they are closely related to the three functions that language is said to perform, namely, ideational, interpersonal, and textual as stated by (Halliday, 1975:17).

As well as the analysis also concentrates on such linguistic means such as top down and bottom up approaches which are represented in causative group which referred to as top down in the investigation of the cause; whereas effective group which referred to as bottom up in the investigation of the effect. These means have been chosen also as primary tools for the analysis due to the fact that all of them are closely related to the three types of constrains such as content( what is said), relations(the social relations that people express in the discourse) and the subjects (subject positions people can occupy).The critical discourse analysis is used to respond to such problems. Language is said to perform, namely action and reaction. The approach is concerned with the analysis of how ideologies mediated through discourse are embodied in linguistic cause and effect perspectives.

The result of analysis has demonstrated that the meanings which people convey by writer or speaker actually do not correspond to what they claim to be saying. Moreover, it has demonstrated that the political elites do not adjust their political discourses which lead to actions processes of individual actors who are regarded as part and parcel from group actions and social reaction processes. These are exemplified in unequal power relation between dictatorial governments which refer to as causative groups and oppressed masses which refer to as effective groups in the investigation of cause and effect.