War and Peace Discourse in English Newspapers in Thailand

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University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. Journal Editorial Office
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Chulalongkorn University Printing House
University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce
Date Issued
2013
ISSN
0125-2437
Resource Type
Journal article
Language
English
Abstract
The discourse constructed in the news about the PAD's seizure of Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi airports, the disruption of the 14th Asean summit in Pattaya and the "Black Songkran" is "war and peace" discourse. The news about these political conflicts in Thailand was reported in the two English newspapers, the Bangkok Post and The Nation, between November and December 2008 and between March and April 2009 respectively. The "war" discourse in the news about the PAD's seizure of Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi airports was constructed through the use of noun and verb phrases in news reports and editorials, together with comments from columnists, vocabulary on military equipment and the description of the airports, Bangkok and the protest site.The "war" discourse in the news about the disruption of the Asean summit in Pattaya and the "Black Songkran" in 2009 was constructed through the naming of the situations themselves, the naming of the people involved in the situations and the description of Bangkok and the protest site as well. Besides, the use of noun and verb phrases in news reports and editorials, together with comments from columnists, vocabulary on military equipment highlighed the "war" discourse. In addition, the "peace" discourse presented in the news about these political conf licts was constructed through the use of phrases calling for talks, reconciliation and political reform. Apart from the "war and peace" discourse, the news about the PAD's seizure of Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi airports also constructed "trouble makers" discourse. The naming of the seizure of the two airports, the naming of the PAD, the use of noun and verb phrases in news reports and editorials, together with comments from columnists, travelers and business people who were affected by the closure of the airports help strengthen the "trouble makers" discourse. The use of idioms, metaphor, simile, and personification was also found in the news, and so were strong criticism and suggestions. The study of the discourses constructed in these political conflicts is one of the examples showing the power of language used in the media, especially newspapers.
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Journal
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University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce
Bibliographic Citation
Narumol Chantrasupawong (2013) War and Peace Discourse in English Newspapers in Thailand. University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce Journal Vol.33 No.1.
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