ATTENTION/WARNING - NE PAS DÉPOSER ICI/DO NOT SUBMIT HERE

Ceci est la version de TEST de DIAL.mem. Veuillez ne pas soumettre votre mémoire sur ce site mais bien à l'URL suivante: 'https://thesis.dial.uclouvain.be'.
This is the TEST version of DIAL.mem. Please use the following URL to submit your master thesis: 'https://thesis.dial.uclouvain.be'.
 

The Final Farewell: A Corpus-Assisted Discourse Study on the Demise of Queen Elizabeth II in Tabloids vs. Broadsheets

Schramke, Anaïs
(2024)

Files

Schramke_5903-22-00_2024.pdf
  • Open access
  • Adobe PDF
  • 1.38 MB
Download

Details

Supervisors
Meunier, Fanny
Faculty
Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres
Degree label
Master [120] en langues et lettres modernes, orientation germaniques, à finalité didactique
Abstract
The announcement of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing on 8 September 2022 sparked worldwide reactions, including extensive coverage by British and international newspapers. This master’s thesis thus aims to investigate the thematic portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II’s death in British broadsheets and tabloids. The study seeks to answer two primary research questions: (1) How is the coverage of the Queen’s passing linguistically portrayed in the British written press? (2) What are differences in the themes covered by tabloid and broadsheet newspapers? To achieve this, the research employs Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies (CADS) techniques, combining quantitative methods like frequency, keyword and collocation analyses with qualitative discourse analysis. The findings indicate that while both broadsheets and tabloids cover similar themes (death and tribute, locations and ceremonial events, members of the Royal Family…), their presentation styles differ significantly. Broadsheets adopt a more formal and collective tone, focusing on national and reflective themes, while tabloids emphasise personal stories and sensationalism, often using an emotional and accessible language. These results align with the broader characteristics distinctions between the two types of newspapers. Moreover, this study includes a pilot study evaluating the potential of ChatGPT as a tool for conducting CADS analyses. The results of these preliminary tests indicate that while ChatGPT can perform some of the analyses used in CADS, further investigation is required to determine its effectiveness and reliability as a methodological tool. The study highlights the contrasting editorial approaches of British newspapers and themes foregrounded when reporting on the Queen’s passing. Additionally, it suggests future research, including the global reception of the Queen’s death and its portrayal in international media, as well as a usage of the collected corpora in didactic projects to explore cultural aspects of language.