Attribution : speech and thought representation

1. Attribution: speech and thoughtrepresentation Bringingothervoicesinto a text

2. Voices in the text • Weknowthatmostarticleshaveanauthorial voice • Thisissignalledby the byline in news reports and op-eds, and byanindicationthatitis the voice of the newspaper in editorials (e.g. The Sunsaysor Voice of the Mirror) • Authorialvoices can call on othervoicestosupporttheirarguments or tomake some rhetoricalpoint or evaluation

3. Attribution and evaluation • Bychoosingto include another voice the authorisalreadyevaluatingthis voice asrelevanttohis/herargument, alongwithanyothersubjectiveevaluationsbeingmade. • The way in which the authorreferencesthesevoices can alsobe a way ofevaluatingthem, theirmessage, or otherprotagonists and reactions. • Itisimportanttorecognisewhoisresponsiblefor the evaluationsexpressed in a text , which are the voicesbeinggivenspace and howtheirspeech or thoughts are represented

4. Analysingattribution • To do thisweneedtobeawareof • The voice : whose, words, speechacts or thoughts are beingrepresented and whoistakingresponsibility? • The speechsignal: howis the voice beingsignalled? • The message: the content and formofwhathasbeensaid or attributed • Attitude: is the authorexpressinganyattitudeto the other speaker or his/hermessage?

5. speechacts • Muchpoliticalactivityisdonethroughlanguage and performative documents or textswhichrepresentthesespeechacts are importantsourcesforjournalists. Oftenthey are the trigger for a news story. • The protagonistsofeventsreacttothisactivity and speechacts, mostlybyproducingotherspeechacts. • Thesereactions are part of the news story (seestructureof news reports)

6. Indirectreportingofspeechacts • “Indirect reports signal more clearly the reason for reporting the speech. Speakers can manipulate the use of these forms in such a way as to achieve a variety of social ends.” • John Lucy • E.g. • Newspaper reports interpreted the remarks as a direct attack on the duchess. • Cameron brandsMantel

7. Reportingsignals • These are mostlyverbswith the most common beingsaid, says • Text nouns can alsosignal a speech report, suchas: announcement, discussion, report, accusation, criticism, comment, complaint • there can beothersignalssuchasallegedly, or impersonalconstructionssuchasitisclaimedthat, itwassaidthat, accordingto X.

8. Evaluations and attributions • The author can express evaluationsof the speaker or the message in a numberofways • Bychoices in the way the source isspecified, by the attributesof the source • Forexampleanonymoussourceshaveless authority thannamedsources • Sourceswhichhave a definedinstitutionalrolehave more authority thanordinaryindividuals and the choiceofwhichrolesget a voice issignificant • The author can choosetoselectcharacteristicswhichformevaluations (e.g. Beppe Grillo , a comedian, claims…or pretty 19 yearoldmotheroftwo Jane smithsaid ….)

9. Pointsofview • Usually a journalistwillattempttoget more thanonepointofviewbyquotingdifferentprotagonists in a conflict or a politicalspectrum, e.ggovernment and opposition (seearticleabout women bishops) • Sometimes the choicetorepresent a numberofreactionsfrom the same side in the formofquotationsrevealsanofficial position whichhasbeentaken • (eg. Governmentsources)

10. Sound bites – choralresponses • “A team ofbriefers work with Blair toprepareforPrime Minister’s QuestionTime,theythenprovide briefing on the lines and phrasestoany senior politicianappearing on QuestionTime, AnyQuestions etc. Writtenbriefings are sent out toall MP’s so theyknow the phrasestouse and the lineto take.” (Clare Short) • Priming

11. Politicaltextualpractices • on-message responses known as ‘singing from the same hymn-sheet’ (a blurring of addresser, message and timing, and blurring of attribution). • Flooding clusters into the discourse for forced priming (like advertising) through sound bites which are essentially brief and memorable

12. Signalswithevaluation • Bychoices in the reportingsignalwhich can express attitudesabout the truthvalueof the message or the speaker (wordslikerumour, allegedsuggest a lackofconvictionabout the truthof the message) • Reportingverbs or adverbials can indicate characteristicsof the way somethingissaid or the emotional state of the speaker (shout, stutter, mumble, firmly, politely, hyterically, • Visiblymoved)

13. The choiceofrepresenting the actualwords a personhasused (signalledby the useofspeechmarks “ “ ) signifiesthat the authorconsidersthemrelevant and worthreproducingexactly, this can alsosignalthat the authordoesnot take responsibilityfor the wordingbutissimplyreporting or itmaybetogive a more vivid or dramatic account

14. The choicetorepresent the speechbymeansof a paraphrase or summaryratherthandirectspeech, assimilatingthe speech report in the text withoutanyseparationmeansthat the authoriscontrolling the way the speechisrepresentedbyusinghis/herownwords. This can oftenbeevaluative. (e.ghisambiguousapology, in anemotionalrant,)

15. Privilegedaccess • Thoughtrepresentationisused in much the same way asspeechrepresentationbutitisalways the resultofinterpretationby the authorasitisdifficulttoreallyknowwhat a personthinks, tohaveaccesstomentalprocesses, or tobeabletoconfirm or deny the truthvalue

16. Criticalanalysis • As wellasbeingabletoidentify the variouschoicesitisimportanttoconsider the effectofsuchchoices and the accumulativeeffectofchoicesmadethroughoutanarticle. • A single choicemaynotbesignificantbutanaccumulationofchoices building up to a particularevaluative position becomesalient • As wellasidentifying voice, signalmessage and attitudeyouneedtoaskwhy the choicesweremadeand forwhateffect?