Chapter 5. Self- and other-positioning in eighteenth‑century newspapers
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Birte Bös
Abstract
This study takes a sociopragmatic perspective on processes of self- and other-positioning in eighteenth-century newspapers. A case study of the adversarial separation of Edward Topham and John Bell, the makers of the highly successful newspaper The World, will reveal the complexities of indexical practices in negotiating positions and responsibilities. Evidence of their feud was mainly found in Bell’s new paper, The Oracle, which was launched in June 1789. Drawing on Reisigl and Wodak’s (2001) framework of positive self- and negative other-presentation, this study particularly explores the referencing and predication strategies, but also some of the perspectivation and argumentation strategies employed in a kaleidoscopic dataset including Bell’s inaugural comment and a range of further newspaper genres. While the processes of positioning provide evidence of the self-serving bias, i.e. “a tendency for people to take personal responsibility for their desirable outcomes yet externalize responsibility for their undesirable outcomes” (cf. Shepperd et al. 2008: 895–896), they were probably carefully planned with the formation of public opinion and marketing effects in mind.
Abstract
This study takes a sociopragmatic perspective on processes of self- and other-positioning in eighteenth-century newspapers. A case study of the adversarial separation of Edward Topham and John Bell, the makers of the highly successful newspaper The World, will reveal the complexities of indexical practices in negotiating positions and responsibilities. Evidence of their feud was mainly found in Bell’s new paper, The Oracle, which was launched in June 1789. Drawing on Reisigl and Wodak’s (2001) framework of positive self- and negative other-presentation, this study particularly explores the referencing and predication strategies, but also some of the perspectivation and argumentation strategies employed in a kaleidoscopic dataset including Bell’s inaugural comment and a range of further newspaper genres. While the processes of positioning provide evidence of the self-serving bias, i.e. “a tendency for people to take personal responsibility for their desirable outcomes yet externalize responsibility for their undesirable outcomes” (cf. Shepperd et al. 2008: 895–896), they were probably carefully planned with the formation of public opinion and marketing effects in mind.
Chapters in this book
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. Self- and other-reference in social contexts 1
- Chapter 2. Personal conviction against general knowledge 14
- Chapter 3. Self-reference as an argumentative tool 39
- Chapter 4. The European Union as an in-group in British press and parliamentary debates 62
- Chapter 5. Self- and other-positioning in eighteenth‑century newspapers 89
- Chapter 6. Intragroup marginalization in social media 114
- Chapter 7. The communicative functions of third-person singular pronouns 138
- Chapter 8. Positioning the self and other in English lingua franca interactions 166
- Index 193
Chapters in this book
- 日本言語政策学会 / Japan Association for Language Policy. 言語政策 / Language Policy 10. 2014 i
- Table of contents v
- Chapter 1. Self- and other-reference in social contexts 1
- Chapter 2. Personal conviction against general knowledge 14
- Chapter 3. Self-reference as an argumentative tool 39
- Chapter 4. The European Union as an in-group in British press and parliamentary debates 62
- Chapter 5. Self- and other-positioning in eighteenth‑century newspapers 89
- Chapter 6. Intragroup marginalization in social media 114
- Chapter 7. The communicative functions of third-person singular pronouns 138
- Chapter 8. Positioning the self and other in English lingua franca interactions 166
- Index 193
