Fear Appeals, Migration and Sinophobia in COVID-19 News and Twitter Discourse: A Corpus-based Critical Analysis
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2023
Abstract:
During the pandemic period, xenophobic and racist hate speech against migrant communities
seeped in everyday online and offline conversations, yet its connection to the wider
communicative context of crisis communication has been scarcely investigated so far. Hence,
while the morbidity and mortality rates of the COVID-19 virus seem to have subsided, the
ways in which COVID-19 risks and measures were communicated and appraised still call for
our attention as they illuminate how alternative discursive paths contributed to social
division and/or solidarity (see e.g., Muñoz Martínez, 2021; Nguyet Erni & Striphas, 2022;
Wodak, 2022).
Keeping in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic was and remains so overwhelming because it
refers to a series of superimposed social, cultural, political crises, the article attempts to
investigate whether it is possible to conceptualize hate speech as a predictable maladaptive
reaction to linguistic and discursive discrimination and inequality in the communication of
risk (Russo, 2020; Russo & Grasso, 2022). It provides findings on the appraisal of COVID-19
news-based risk communication discourse by Twitter users based in the United Kingdom
during the period 1 March 2020-15 March 2020. More specifically, it focuses on maladaptive
responses such as hate speech towards migrant communities and individuals with some
specific findings on sinophobia. In order to investigate the affect and discrimination nexus
which lies at the basis of racist and xenophobic hate speech, it adopts a combined Corpusbased Critical Discourse Studies and Appraisal Linguistics Approach to Social Media (Baker,
2006; KhosraviNik, 2014, 2017; Martin & White, 2005; Partington, 1998; Thomson & White,
2008; Zappavigna, 2012, 2018). The analysis is therefore narrowed from bulk data retrieval
to identify the lexical and grammatical resources used to express attitude oriented to affect
and associates the findings on affect with the analysis of the representation of social actors
from a Critical Discourse point of view (Reisigl & Wodak, 2001; van Leeuwen, 1996; Wodak
et al., 1999).
seeped in everyday online and offline conversations, yet its connection to the wider
communicative context of crisis communication has been scarcely investigated so far. Hence,
while the morbidity and mortality rates of the COVID-19 virus seem to have subsided, the
ways in which COVID-19 risks and measures were communicated and appraised still call for
our attention as they illuminate how alternative discursive paths contributed to social
division and/or solidarity (see e.g., Muñoz Martínez, 2021; Nguyet Erni & Striphas, 2022;
Wodak, 2022).
Keeping in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic was and remains so overwhelming because it
refers to a series of superimposed social, cultural, political crises, the article attempts to
investigate whether it is possible to conceptualize hate speech as a predictable maladaptive
reaction to linguistic and discursive discrimination and inequality in the communication of
risk (Russo, 2020; Russo & Grasso, 2022). It provides findings on the appraisal of COVID-19
news-based risk communication discourse by Twitter users based in the United Kingdom
during the period 1 March 2020-15 March 2020. More specifically, it focuses on maladaptive
responses such as hate speech towards migrant communities and individuals with some
specific findings on sinophobia. In order to investigate the affect and discrimination nexus
which lies at the basis of racist and xenophobic hate speech, it adopts a combined Corpusbased Critical Discourse Studies and Appraisal Linguistics Approach to Social Media (Baker,
2006; KhosraviNik, 2014, 2017; Martin & White, 2005; Partington, 1998; Thomson & White,
2008; Zappavigna, 2012, 2018). The analysis is therefore narrowed from bulk data retrieval
to identify the lexical and grammatical resources used to express attitude oriented to affect
and associates the findings on affect with the analysis of the representation of social actors
from a Critical Discourse point of view (Reisigl & Wodak, 2001; van Leeuwen, 1996; Wodak
et al., 1999).
Tipologia CRIS:
1.1 Articolo in rivista
Keywords:
hate speech, COVID-19 discourse, crisis discourse, risk discourse, Sinophobia
Elenco autori:
Russo, KATHERINE ELIZABETH
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