Different Language Styles in Newspapers: An Investigative Framework

Abstract

Taking advantage of the linguistic devices such as “modality†and “core-non-core vocabularyâ€, this paper focuses on four passages taken from the sports commentary pages of different newspapers (i.e. tabloids and broadsheets) published in Britain. The current paper argues that the language used by different type of newspapers is explicitly different even when they refer to the report of the same event, and that linguistic insights into the use of language can be of assistance understanding this diversity. Analyses of the passages by the help of an investigative framework revealed that the report of the same event is reflected differently in tabloids by using a more biased and involved language.