A Corpus Assisted Media Representation of Buhari during the 2015 Election Campaigns in Nigeria
Keywords:
Critical discourse analysis, Systemic functional linguistics, Corpus linguistics, Media representation
Abstract
The article examines how Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, was portrayed in the media during the 2015 political campaigns using corpus linguistics and Halliday’s transitivity model. Analyzing texts from six national newspapers over seven months, the study employs a corpus-assisted approach with the Wordsmith concordance tool and Systemic Functional Linguistics to examine how agency and processes shaped Buhari's representation. The findings show a predominantly negative portrayal, with Buhari's name frequently collocating with negatively connoted words. The transitivity analysis reveals he was depicted as benefiting from terrorist actions and stereotyped as a religious fundamentalist and pro-corruption figure. The study concludes that media representation was biased, as Buhari, despite being negatively portrayed, won the 2015 elections, challenging the notion of media objectivity in representing reality.
References
Akubor, E. O. (2015, July 26-29). Campaigns and electioneering: Reflecting on the 2015 general elections in Nigeria. Paper presented at the conference organized by the Electoral Institute, Abuja, Nigeria. https://www.inecnigeria.org
Al-Zubaidi, R. T. A. (2022). Critical discourse analysis: Power exercise and resistance in selected texts. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 18(2), 1023-1033.
Attia, S. (2022). Libya, the media and the language of violence: A corpus-assisted discourse analysis. Research in Corpus Linguistics, 10(1), 84-116.
Alafinan, M. A (2019). An investigation into texture, power and ideology in electronic news articles. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 8(5), 77. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.8n.5p.7
Baker, P. (2009). Using corpora in discourse analysis. Continuum.
Baker, P., & McEnery, T. (2015). Corpora and discourse studies: Integrating discourse and corpora. English Language and Linguistics Journal, 1(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1017/51360674316000101
Bhandari, M.P. (2023). The corruption a chronic disease of humanity: causes, effects and consequences. Scientific Journal of Bielsko-Biala school of Finance and Law, 27(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.19192/wsfip.sj1.2023.1
Bourne, R. (2015). Nigeria: A new history of a turbulent century. Zed Books.
Brooks, D. J., & Murov, M. (2012). Assessing accountability in the post-Citizens United era: The effects of attack ad sponsorship by unknown independent groups. American Politics Research, 40(3), 383-418. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X11414791
Chen, S. (2013). Corpus linguistics in critical discourse analysis: A case study on news reports of the 2011 Libyan civil war. Streams: Culture/Politics/Technology, 5(1), 21-28.
Dim, E. E. (2017). An integrated theoretical approach to the persistence of Boko Haram violent extremism in Nigeria. Journal of Peace building and Development Studies, 12(2), 36-50. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48603165
Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Longman.
Fairclough, N. (2001). Language and power (2nd ed.). Longman.
Fairclough, N. (2010). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Longman.
Fairclough, N. (2015). Introduction, language, and power (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Fairclough, N., & Wodak, R. (1997). Critical discourse analysis. In T. A. Van Dijk (Ed.), Discourse as social interaction: Discourse studies A multidisciplinary introduction (pp. 258-284). Sage.
Foster, N., Cook, K., Barter-Godfrey, S., & Furneux, S. (2011). Multiculturalism: conflicting representations of Arab and Muslim Australians in the print media. Media, Culture & Society, 33(4), 619-629. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443711399034
Gillings, M., & Mautner, G. (2024). Concordance. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.21168.gil
Halliday, M. A. K. (1994). Introduction to functional grammar. Edward Arnold.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. (2014). Halliday's introduction to functional grammar (3rd ed.). Hodder Arnold.
Kroon, A. C., Terilling, D., Toni, G. L. A., Van der M., & Jeroen, G. F. J. (2020). Clouded reality: news representation of culturally close and distant ethnic outgroups. Communications, 45(s1), 744–764.
Mabuya, R. (2020). Wordsmith tools as enabler for text analysis. [Paper presentation] Proceedings of the International Conference of the Digital Humanity Association of South Africa, South Africa.
Mahmoud, S., & Malmir, B. (2017). US news media portrayal of Islam and Muslims: A corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 49(14), 1351-1367. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2017.1281789
Marvanci, G. (2009). Understanding Muslim identity: Rethinking fundamentalism. Palgrave Macmillan.
Mustapha, K. (2021). Movement for the emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) constitute a threat to the United State of America national security. Open Access Library Journal, 8(6). https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1107465
Nwaefuna, F. A. (2022). Media representation of the presidential candidates during the 2015 political campaigns in Nigeria [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. University of Botswana, Botswana
Nyiayaana, K. (2021). State legitimacy and the dynamics of identity-based conflicts in Nigeria. African Journal of Politics and Administrative Studies, 14(1), 105-114.
Ochu, M. C. (2012). Terrorist terminologies in Nigerian online newspapers [Unpublished Master's dissertation]. University of Botswana, Botswana.
O’Keeffe, A. M., & McCarthy, M. (2010). The Routledge handbook of corpus linguistics. Routledge.
Phili, C. (2011). Representation of women in the Sunday Standard newspaper in Botswana [Master's dissertation]. University of Botswana, Botswana.
Roscoe, K. D. (2024). Critical discourse analysis: A dialectical approach to deconstructing professional identity in social work. Critical and Radical Social Work: An International Journal, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1332/20498608Y2023D000000004
Shopeju, J. O., & Ojukwu, C. C. (2013). Patrimonial rule in Olusegun Obasanjo’s Nigeria. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 7(6), 266-273.
Stefanowitsch, A. (2021). Corpus linguistics: A guide to the methodology. Language Science Press.
Stubbs, M. (2001). Words and phrases: Corpus studies of lexical semantics. Blackwell.
Thornbury, S. (2010). What can a corpus tell us about discourse? In A. O'Keeffe & M. McCarthy (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Corpus Linguistics (pp. 270-287). Routledge.
Zhang, J., & Yu, Y. (2024). Heterogeneous discursive representations of the Chinese Dream in international media: a corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis. Media Asia, 51(1), 121-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/01296612.2023.2243051
Warren, M. (2017). A problem-based approach to democratic theory. American Political Science Review, 111(1), 39-53. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055416000605
Van Dijk, T. A. (2001). Multidisciplinary CDA: A plea for diversity. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis (pp. 95–120). Sage.
Van Dijk, T. A. (2013). News as discourse. Routledge.
Al-Zubaidi, R. T. A. (2022). Critical discourse analysis: Power exercise and resistance in selected texts. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 18(2), 1023-1033.
Attia, S. (2022). Libya, the media and the language of violence: A corpus-assisted discourse analysis. Research in Corpus Linguistics, 10(1), 84-116.
Alafinan, M. A (2019). An investigation into texture, power and ideology in electronic news articles. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 8(5), 77. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.8n.5p.7
Baker, P. (2009). Using corpora in discourse analysis. Continuum.
Baker, P., & McEnery, T. (2015). Corpora and discourse studies: Integrating discourse and corpora. English Language and Linguistics Journal, 1(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1017/51360674316000101
Bhandari, M.P. (2023). The corruption a chronic disease of humanity: causes, effects and consequences. Scientific Journal of Bielsko-Biala school of Finance and Law, 27(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.19192/wsfip.sj1.2023.1
Bourne, R. (2015). Nigeria: A new history of a turbulent century. Zed Books.
Brooks, D. J., & Murov, M. (2012). Assessing accountability in the post-Citizens United era: The effects of attack ad sponsorship by unknown independent groups. American Politics Research, 40(3), 383-418. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X11414791
Chen, S. (2013). Corpus linguistics in critical discourse analysis: A case study on news reports of the 2011 Libyan civil war. Streams: Culture/Politics/Technology, 5(1), 21-28.
Dim, E. E. (2017). An integrated theoretical approach to the persistence of Boko Haram violent extremism in Nigeria. Journal of Peace building and Development Studies, 12(2), 36-50. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48603165
Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Longman.
Fairclough, N. (2001). Language and power (2nd ed.). Longman.
Fairclough, N. (2010). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Longman.
Fairclough, N. (2015). Introduction, language, and power (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Fairclough, N., & Wodak, R. (1997). Critical discourse analysis. In T. A. Van Dijk (Ed.), Discourse as social interaction: Discourse studies A multidisciplinary introduction (pp. 258-284). Sage.
Foster, N., Cook, K., Barter-Godfrey, S., & Furneux, S. (2011). Multiculturalism: conflicting representations of Arab and Muslim Australians in the print media. Media, Culture & Society, 33(4), 619-629. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443711399034
Gillings, M., & Mautner, G. (2024). Concordance. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.21168.gil
Halliday, M. A. K. (1994). Introduction to functional grammar. Edward Arnold.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. (2014). Halliday's introduction to functional grammar (3rd ed.). Hodder Arnold.
Kroon, A. C., Terilling, D., Toni, G. L. A., Van der M., & Jeroen, G. F. J. (2020). Clouded reality: news representation of culturally close and distant ethnic outgroups. Communications, 45(s1), 744–764.
Mabuya, R. (2020). Wordsmith tools as enabler for text analysis. [Paper presentation] Proceedings of the International Conference of the Digital Humanity Association of South Africa, South Africa.
Mahmoud, S., & Malmir, B. (2017). US news media portrayal of Islam and Muslims: A corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 49(14), 1351-1367. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2017.1281789
Marvanci, G. (2009). Understanding Muslim identity: Rethinking fundamentalism. Palgrave Macmillan.
Mustapha, K. (2021). Movement for the emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) constitute a threat to the United State of America national security. Open Access Library Journal, 8(6). https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1107465
Nwaefuna, F. A. (2022). Media representation of the presidential candidates during the 2015 political campaigns in Nigeria [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. University of Botswana, Botswana
Nyiayaana, K. (2021). State legitimacy and the dynamics of identity-based conflicts in Nigeria. African Journal of Politics and Administrative Studies, 14(1), 105-114.
Ochu, M. C. (2012). Terrorist terminologies in Nigerian online newspapers [Unpublished Master's dissertation]. University of Botswana, Botswana.
O’Keeffe, A. M., & McCarthy, M. (2010). The Routledge handbook of corpus linguistics. Routledge.
Phili, C. (2011). Representation of women in the Sunday Standard newspaper in Botswana [Master's dissertation]. University of Botswana, Botswana.
Roscoe, K. D. (2024). Critical discourse analysis: A dialectical approach to deconstructing professional identity in social work. Critical and Radical Social Work: An International Journal, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1332/20498608Y2023D000000004
Shopeju, J. O., & Ojukwu, C. C. (2013). Patrimonial rule in Olusegun Obasanjo’s Nigeria. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 7(6), 266-273.
Stefanowitsch, A. (2021). Corpus linguistics: A guide to the methodology. Language Science Press.
Stubbs, M. (2001). Words and phrases: Corpus studies of lexical semantics. Blackwell.
Thornbury, S. (2010). What can a corpus tell us about discourse? In A. O'Keeffe & M. McCarthy (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Corpus Linguistics (pp. 270-287). Routledge.
Zhang, J., & Yu, Y. (2024). Heterogeneous discursive representations of the Chinese Dream in international media: a corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis. Media Asia, 51(1), 121-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/01296612.2023.2243051
Warren, M. (2017). A problem-based approach to democratic theory. American Political Science Review, 111(1), 39-53. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055416000605
Van Dijk, T. A. (2001). Multidisciplinary CDA: A plea for diversity. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis (pp. 95–120). Sage.
Van Dijk, T. A. (2013). News as discourse. Routledge.
Published
2024-11-04
How to Cite
Nwaefuna, F. A. (2024). A Corpus Assisted Media Representation of Buhari during the 2015 Election Campaigns in Nigeria. European Journal of Science, Innovation and Technology, 4(5), 95-106. Retrieved from https://ejsit-journal.com/index.php/ejsit/article/view/535
Issue
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2024 Florence Awele Nwaefuna
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
ISSN 
