JEZIK KAO SREDSTVO MANIPULACIJE : UPOTREBA LINGVISTIČKIH SREDSTAVA ZA OPISIVANJE ZLOČINACA, ZLOČINA I ŽRTAVA U BRITANSKIM ONLINE MEDIJIMA
LANGUAGE AS A TOOL OF MANIPULATION : USING LINGUISTIC EXPRESSIONS TO DESCRIBE CRIMINALS, CRIMES AND VICTIMS IN BRITISH ONLINE MEDIA

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper was to analyze linguistic expressions used to refer to criminals, their victims and crimes in British online media. The theoretical framework was Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), or, more precisely, Critical Discourse Stylistics, as one of the many CDA approaches. The analysis focused on nomination and description as tools of manipulating the public. In reports about crimes, media language is used not only to inform but also to influence the public opinion. It is a tool which constructs the image of criminals, victims, and crimes. In these reports, the offender and the victim are placed at the opposing ends of the morality scale: the more ideal (i.e. innocent and vulnerable) the victim, the more ideal (i.e. evil) the criminal. This paper shows which linguistic expressions are used for the purpose of manipulating the public in crime reports. The results show that the choice of a noun phrase has a significant influence on the way we think about a reported crime and how we feel about the offender and the victim.

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