Generic Grouping in Newspapers: A Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) Approach

Abstract

The study looked at how the various articles in newspapers are categorized into various sub genres. The researcher, using the register variables of SFL which are tenor, field and mode, carried out a content analysis of nine newspaper articles specifically, the editorials, hard news and feature articles. Looking at the field of discourse in the selected articles, the researcher noted that ninety percent of the hard news articles selected covered stories from various disciplines,   a larger percentage of the feature articles covered health issues, ninety percent of the editorial articles were about politics and on the tenor of discourse, the researcher observed the use of a formal language in all the three genres. However, in hard news, the researcher noted that the authors distanced themselves from the articles and as such it becomes difficult to establish the truthfulness of such stories. in features and editorials, the authors come across as possessing expertise and authority (standing) but this element lacks in hard news articles. Again, editorials and feature articles place an obligation to the reader to do something. Lastly, on the mode of discourse, the researcher noted that a larger percentage of feature and editorial articles analyzed, displayed elements of interactivity and this is indicated by the presence of terms of address in the articles. The researcher concluded that subject matter, the communicative function of an article, and the manner in which authors of texts present themselves contribute to how texts are grouped into genres and subgenres.