Discursive Strategies and Ideology in Cyber Security Online Reports

The paper is set to identify the discursive strategies and ideology in selected online cyber security levy discourse. Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive approach to CDA was adopted as the theoretical framework for the study. The study used qualitative method of data collection. The Random Sampling Technique was employed and data for the study was drawn from Naira land Forum. Major lead paragraphs on cyber security levy issue were randomly selected and were labelled A and B. In addition, the total number of the lead paragraphs was 20.The study examined the structures of micro propositions in order to investigate the nature of the online report. Hence, lexical items such as verbs, nominal expressions and social actor representation revealed the nature of the cognitive structures of the ideology. Moreover, considering the context model and situation model, Van Dijk’s mental model was also adopted for the study. The findings show that some linguistic constructions such as rhetorical questions, figurative expressions (metaphors), use of deictic expressions among others were employed as the discursive strategies in the cyber security levy discourse. These strategies were equally found to embody some ideological underpinnings as discussed in the work. The study concludes that language is a means of constructing social reality and also, the media use language in discourse to assert dominant ideologies.

Keywords: Discourse Discursive-Strategies Ideology Cyber Security

Authors

• Aondover Theophilus Kaan
  Department of English
  Federal University, Dutsin-Ma
  akaan@fudutsinma.edu.ng
• Hadiza Kabir
  Department of English
  Federal University Dutsin-Ma
• Mariya Ibrahim
  Department of English
  Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education,
  Kumbotso, Kano
  mariyaibrahim@gmail.com