Minor Project

Minor Project

My research question will focus on analyzing the relationship between language and representation in Thailand’s National and Local newspapers during the years 2004 to 2014. In analyzing the data I will use the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). In addition, I will also compare the ISAN representation in the national and local newspapers during the aforementioned years.

For this study the researcher used Fairclough’s (1995) three-dimensional framework as well as van Dijk (2008) approach of ‘racism of the autonomous’ to critique society.

Researchers who have looked at this subject are Tuan A. van Dijk and Krisadawan Hongladarom. They are both important to the study of racism due, largely in part, to the concepts and methods that are featured in their research. Moreover, the results of the research were essential and gives credence to the study in this field as well.

van Dijk(2008) research provides a very detailed insight that focuses on the key concepts of discourse and racism and how the correlation pertains to this particular study. He recommended myriad and germane ways to learn about racism that appears in discourse types and focused on the issue of inequality in society. The concept of an outsider in the group and the results were presented within different discourse. He gave examples of elite discourse in the reproduction of power in presenting the concept of ethnic prejudice. This is quite evident from the wording and social practices that contribute to the dialogue and communication. van Dijk attempted (quite successfully) to demonstrate how these discourses influence people to think about latent racism and the reason(s) for doing so. He also proposed a structure for analyzing the discourse of racism; with the primary aim of asking and answering the question: If an action or discourse that emphasizes "we" have a positive connotation then would "they" conversely, have a negative connotation. Lastly, he asks is using the word “us” in this situation sending the wrong idea about a particular action or does it reduce the severity of the event?

Whereas, Hongladarom(2009), case study, done in Thailand, contributes to the understanding of language and ideology and states that both parts are correlated very well. The use of language is not only used to tell a story but also serves to clarify the debate used as a tool of ideology. Her study attempts to use Language to convey the thoughts of one ethnic group to another. Thus, we may understand and believe in the opinions of the group. In addition, her research is also the first study in Thailand that introduced the concept of CDA to study the visual presentation of minorities in the country and look into the discourse of race as well.

A detailed study of two excerpts found that such research articles used different data and field. Hongladarom chose a popular newspaper while van Dijk divided the ideology of racism into 4 types: conversation, news reports, textbooks and political discourse: parliamentary debates.

My work will take a closer look at van Dijk’s and Hongladarom’s because these researchers demonstrate that the overall concept included in their respective studies allow other researchers to understand the basic concept, framework, the nature of linguistic and ideas more clearly. My research will be used to assist me in further studying individuals from ISAN; by considering the visual presentation of ISAN people and their self-presentation in manufacturing a presentation that asks the question: is there an underlying ideology or not. And does it lead to anything significant in society. Numerous studies have shown and proven that language affects how the media’s ideology affects society. This ideology is also an approach to research that is used to study whether a different discourse, such as van Dijk has proposed germane text to include in everyday conversation textbooks coverage and news reports.

The findings of the present study may shed light on the visual representation of the ISAN newspapers media through National and Local newspapers and might construct some understanding of the attitude of the press in Thailand at the national and local levels on ISAN. Moreover, the results of this study add a new knowledge base to this field. ( 520 words)

Reference List
van Dijk,T.A.(2008). Discourse & Power. New York : Palgrave Macmilan.
Hongladarom, Krisadawan.(2009). Competing Discourse on Hilltribes: Media Representation
of Ethnic Minorities in Thailand. Silpakorn,2009(9),11-17.

Writing an introduction

“The relationship between language and representations of ISAN people in national and local newspapers : a critical discourse analysis”


By Suphat Kaewphat



Stage 1

Northeast or ISAN has the maximum area of approximately 168,854 square kilometers or equivalent to one third of the total area of the country and that has the largest area in the country. In addition, ISAN has a population that has the largest number of people from many people about 18,666,000 Thailand all 64,871,000 people, with all 20 counties of 76 provinces in Thailand. As a result of ISAN has been important and should be attended by the government ; in fact, ISAN facing many problems such as lack of development of the arid ,far developed ,amd seen as a social status is unequal to the other sectors.( Somin , 2010)

Ginseng (2002) reveals that "In the past, the ISAN was seen as silly or as second-class citizens of the country, which is a low level of labor." Furthermore, the word "Lao" was originally a term that is used to represent the ISAN on their interaction with the ISAN together (Hongladarom,2009). Moreover, Akarakul(2006) said that when outside groups to use in the show contempt and others including the inferior able to said about the ISAN that the word “Lao” which is a term used to refer to a distinguished themself when talking ;whereas, the word is used by people from different regions from government officials or those in Bangkok. Consequently, this ideology divide two groups (in-group and out-group) cause a rupture in society ;that is, evident from the report of the media newspaper.

Newspapers are also essential to act publish the ISAN in different ways, such as in the coverage of the national newspapers, the capacity to convey the news to large groups of people in Thailand to recognize the ideas, attitudes to people. The national media have a role in producing more power to spread the image of the ISAN to the public. Using linguistics is to express an opinion about the ISAN, it is important as well, author must be careful in bringing the news to most neutral. It can be seen that the reporting of the ISAN, it also has some potential implications to the language used naturally by the reader's knowledge. Thus, the media are an important part of society's perception of the visual representation of the ISAN.

Stage 2

There have been few studies of representation by approach of CDA ( Critical Discourse Analysis) in Thai, such as Suriya (2011) analyzes the relationship between language and the representation of death row and executed daily newspaper in Thailand along the critical discourse analysis, Thitiwaraluk (2010) study on the creation of the country and a representative of the MSM on the site. While in America, Australia and Europe have been several studies. According to van Dijk (2008) have presented ideas about in-group and out-group the very interesting subject matter, the discourse of racism is associated with the ideology of the group. It will focus on presenting themselves or someone in their group as a positive when an outsider groups are presented in the negative. Teo (2000) studied concern racism in the news : a critical discourse analysis of news reporting in two Australian newspapers , and Edwards (2012 ) researched a comparative discourse analysis of the construction of “In-groups” in the 2005 and manifestos of the British National Party. Moreover, Erjavec (2001) studied entitled media representation of the discrimination against the Roma in Eastern Europe: the case of Slovenia, this research aimed to study the discrimination of the media in presenting unique about the revolt against Rome.

Stage 3

However, considering the research in various fields, there are a few researches that linguistic studies in the visual presentation of the group representing the ISAN in the discourse , especially in the study of national media discourse and local media. Although, presenting an image representing the ISAN through newspapers make the picture representing the ISAN of interest offered through two segments of the same views and different from the view outside through the national media. Moreover, portrait ISAN that have been published to have both positive and negative. Meanwhile, the ISAN has presented itself through coverage in local newspapers. The image is often presented as the ISAN is positive and try to fight or to ask a general understanding, sympathetic and agree on the identity of the ISAN. Whereas , van Dijk (2008) point out that racist discourse and more generally ideological discourse of in-group members, for instance, typically emphasize, in many discursive ways, the positive characteristics of our own group and its members, and the (purported ) negative characteristics of Others, the out-group.

Stage 4

Therefore, this study aims at analyzing the relationship between language and representation in the national and local newspaper during the years 2004 to 2014, according to the study of critical discourse analysis. And also compare of the ISAN representation in the national and local newspapers at the time. In addition, this study the researcher uses approach of critical discourse analysis (CDA) by using Fairclough’s (1995) three-dimensional framework. And by using van Dijk (2008) approach of the racism of the autonomous to critique of society.

Stage 5

The findings of the present study may shed light on make a visual representation of the ISAN newspapers media through national and local newspapers and might construct some understanding the attitude of the press in Thailand at the national and local levels on the ISAN. Moreover, the results of this study is a new knowledge and useful to study the critical discourse analysis to the other side.