Papers 93 and papers 2005 conversationalisation and trivialisation in the broadsheets

- the SiBol corpus –

British broadsheets Times Times Telegraph Telegraph Guardian Guardian Sunday Times Sunday Times Sunday Telegraph Sunday Telegraph Observer Observer

The broadsheets Defined in contrast with the tabloids or redtops Defined in contrast with the tabloids or redtops Used to be a description of size and format Used to be a description of size and format Now many in Berliner or compact format so technically no longer broadsheet Now many in Berliner or compact format so technically no longer broadsheet

The corpus Papers 93 (old SiBol) – 98,943,032 tokens Papers 93 (old SiBol) – 98,943,032 tokens Papers 2005 (Young SiBol) –146,077,408 tokens Papers 2005 (Young SiBol) –146,077,408 tokens Old SiBol has Sundays but no Observer Old SiBol has Sundays but no Observer

software We use WordSmith 5 and Xaira We use WordSmith 5 and Xaira For wordlists For wordlists Keyword lists Keyword lists Collocations Collocations Clusters Clusters plots plots And a lot of statistical data And a lot of statistical data

worldlists “a word list at first sight is a confusing animal, with its high-frequency items rising up like tusks and its hapax legomena lying as flat as fur; its patterns are weird and wonderful. Beneath the surface though its DNA reveals numerous regularities which can be useful to language researchers searching for patterns of importance in their own text corpora.” “a word list at first sight is a confusing animal, with its high-frequency items rising up like tusks and its hapax legomena lying as flat as fur; its patterns are weird and wonderful. Beneath the surface though its DNA reveals numerous regularities which can be useful to language researchers searching for patterns of importance in their own text corpora.” (Scott and Tribble 2006: 31) (Scott and Tribble 2006: 31)

keywords Two wordlists compared and the most salient items arranged in order of ‘keyness’, a statistical measure Two wordlists compared and the most salient items arranged in order of ‘keyness’, a statistical measure

So far….. Keyword lists have revealed: in SiBol 2005 Keyword lists have revealed: in SiBol 2005 More names More names The first obvious pattern to be observed in the keywords list is that here are a large number of proper names, representing what has been called seasonal content. The first obvious pattern to be observed in the keywords list is that here are a large number of proper names, representing what has been called seasonal content.

1993 vs 2005 MajorBlair MajorBlair MaastrichtBrussels MaastrichtBrussels ClintonBush ClintonBush BosniaIraq BosniaIraq YeltsinPutin YeltsinPutin Delors Delors

New things Among the top keywords: Among the top keywords: www www Com Com Online Online Internet Internet website website

More sport In the first 100 items In the first 100 items ChelseaFlintoff ChelseaFlintoff PremiershipEriksson PremiershipEriksson MourinhoFootball MourinhoFootball BeckhamCeltic BeckhamCeltic WengerLiverpool WengerLiverpool RooneyChampions RooneyChampions Ashesteam Ashesteam

The first lesson learnt from the tabloids is that sport sells newspapers The first lesson learnt from the tabloids is that sport sells newspapers

More keywords You You your your I My My we we me me don’t that’s there’s he’s you’re I’ve I’m don’t that’s there’s he’s you’re I’ve I’m

Informal register First and second person – imitation of spoken language First and second person – imitation of spoken language Use of contractions Use of contractions journalists also achieve impact and get on a ‘conversational’ wavelength with their readers by using common spoken discourse markers and purposefully vague language in a projected conversational exchange journalists also achieve impact and get on a ‘conversational’ wavelength with their readers by using common spoken discourse markers and purposefully vague language in a projected conversational exchange (Carter and MCarthy 2006:238) (Carter and MCarthy 2006:238)

A lexical set Have a look at table 1 what do the words have in common? Have a look at table 1 what do the words have in common?

Evaluation They are all evaluative They are all evaluative Nearly all positive evaluation Nearly all positive evaluation Rather hyperbolic Rather hyperbolic

And some phraseologies Biggest Most occurrences in The Times and the collocates appear to belong to the financial domain (company, group, bank, operator, retailer, market, shareholder) and there are a couple of problem- solution related items (biggest challenge, biggest problem, biggest mistake). Most are defined geographically (the world’s, UK’s, England’s, Europe’s) Biggest Most occurrences in The Times and the collocates appear to belong to the financial domain (company, group, bank, operator, retailer, market, shareholder) and there are a couple of problem- solution related items (biggest challenge, biggest problem, biggest mistake). Most are defined geographically (the world’s, UK’s, England’s, Europe’s)

Huge (annotated with three stars by MEDAL to signal one of the most basic words of English) it means extremely large in size. The collocates in R1 position suggest a semantic preference for words dealing with impact and effects, either emotional or in terms of fame or significance (huge significance, huge scope, huge row, huge surprise, huge shock, huge sense, huge relief, huge pressure, huge demand, huge success, huge star hit, huge hits, huge setback, huge blow, huge loss, huge losses) Huge (annotated with three stars by MEDAL to signal one of the most basic words of English) it means extremely large in size. The collocates in R1 position suggest a semantic preference for words dealing with impact and effects, either emotional or in terms of fame or significance (huge significance, huge scope, huge row, huge surprise, huge shock, huge sense, huge relief, huge pressure, huge demand, huge success, huge star hit, huge hits, huge setback, huge blow, huge loss, huge losses)

Giant –for MEDAL this is a two star word and a noun classified as found mainly journalism meaning an extremely large and successful company (most frequent L1 collocates oil giant, supermarket giant, media giant, energy giant, software giant, insurance giant, phone giant, drinks giant, pharmaceutical giant)or as an adjective meaning extremely large (most frequent R1 collocates: giant leap, giant screens, giant screen, giant slalom, giant squid, giant waves, giant waves, giant panda, giant pandas, giant turbines, giant ape, giant tortoises, but also company names such as oil giant Yukos, supermarket giant Tesco) Giant –for MEDAL this is a two star word and a noun classified as found mainly journalism meaning an extremely large and successful company (most frequent L1 collocates oil giant, supermarket giant, media giant, energy giant, software giant, insurance giant, phone giant, drinks giant, pharmaceutical giant)or as an adjective meaning extremely large (most frequent R1 collocates: giant leap, giant screens, giant screen, giant slalom, giant squid, giant waves, giant waves, giant panda, giant pandas, giant turbines, giant ape, giant tortoises, but also company names such as oil giant Yukos, supermarket giant Tesco)

Iconic a MEDAL one star word meaning very famous and well known, believed to represent a particular idea. Collocates are nearly all linked with fame, fashion and visibility many contexts connected to the arts (iconic status, iconic image(s), iconic figure, iconic brand, iconic design, iconic fashion, iconic moment(s), iconic event, iconic photograph(s), iconic film, iconic movie, iconic performance, iconic piece, iconic work(s)) Iconic a MEDAL one star word meaning very famous and well known, believed to represent a particular idea. Collocates are nearly all linked with fame, fashion and visibility many contexts connected to the arts (iconic status, iconic image(s), iconic figure, iconic brand, iconic design, iconic fashion, iconic moment(s), iconic event, iconic photograph(s), iconic film, iconic movie, iconic performance, iconic piece, iconic work(s))

Key as an adjective, a three star word meaning very important It is inherently comparative in meaning singling out a preference and judgement about importance. It clusters with many general nouns: key thing, key man, key question, key point, key element, key moment, key area, key witness, key worker, key member, key ingredient, key component, key difference

Pivotal MEDAL meaning extremely important and affecting how something develops. R1 collocates appear to be related to strategic issues, either people, place or time with some sports contexts (pivotal role,pivotal moment, pivotal figure, pivotal point, pivotal part, pivotal position, pivotal player, pivotal year, pivotal figure, pivotal character, pivotal factor, pivotal decision, pivotal scene, pivotal stage, pivotal event, pivotal game, pivotal day, pivotal match). Both pivotal and key seem to be serving the same function, that of claiming high ground and visibility in some way by declaring importance. Pivotal MEDAL meaning extremely important and affecting how something develops. R1 collocates appear to be related to strategic issues, either people, place or time with some sports contexts (pivotal role,pivotal moment, pivotal figure, pivotal point, pivotal part, pivotal position, pivotal player, pivotal year, pivotal figure, pivotal character, pivotal factor, pivotal decision, pivotal scene, pivotal stage, pivotal event, pivotal game, pivotal day, pivotal match). Both pivotal and key seem to be serving the same function, that of claiming high ground and visibility in some way by declaring importance.

Results for hyperbolic and emphatic items Results for hyperbolic and emphatic items 2005 (-Observer) 1,174, (-Observer) 1,174,643 = 0,804124% = 0,804124% 1993 (with Sundays) 637, (with Sundays) 637,450 = 0,64426% = 0,64426% Increase= + 0,159864% Increase= + 0,159864%

Hyperbolic papers Times0.617% Times0.617% Guardian0.663% Guardian0.663% Telegraph0.673% Telegraph0.673% Sunday Telegraph0.709% Sunday Telegraph0.709% Sunday Times0.714% Sunday Times0.714% The Observer0.753% The Observer0.753% Average : 0.688% Average : 0.688%

A question Do the Times and Guardian delegate their hyperboles to their Sunday sisters? Do the Times and Guardian delegate their hyperboles to their Sunday sisters?

Next category Have a look at table 2 Have a look at table 2 What do these items have in common? What do these items have in common?

Table 2 They are examples of language used when you do not want to be precise They are examples of language used when you do not want to be precise As Carter and McCarthy remind us ‘being vague is an important feature of interpersonal meaning and is especially common in everyday conversation” As Carter and McCarthy remind us ‘being vague is an important feature of interpersonal meaning and is especially common in everyday conversation”

Table 3 A less easily defined set A less easily defined set

They are all informal They are all informal They are all evaluative They are all evaluative They are a bit vague in meaning or at least very subjective They are a bit vague in meaning or at least very subjective

So for the moment we might say that Young Sibol is more informal, more evaluative and more inclined to be vague, more concerned with size, fame, importance and image So for the moment we might say that Young Sibol is more informal, more evaluative and more inclined to be vague, more concerned with size, fame, importance and image The keywords for Old SiBol give a very different impression More news (apparently about politics and the economy, more foreign news topics) More news (apparently about politics and the economy, more foreign news topics) Less evaluation Less evaluation Less informality Less informality

Work in progress There is still a lot to find out so this is very much preliminary and subject to further refinement There is still a lot to find out so this is very much preliminary and subject to further refinement