The Word Narrative in US Media : A Corpus-Assisted Discourse Study of Its Meaning and Use

Sammanfattning

The word narrative has been increasingly used by speakers and writers across fields, including political discourse and media communication. In many instances, there appears to be a mismatch between its typical denotation and the meanings implied by its actual usage. This mismatch is observable in US media outlets and suggests that the word may have acquired new meanings and/or functions. This study draws on two theoretical frameworks: the semantic distinction between denotation and connotation, and the semantic profile model developed by Sinclair (1991, 1996) and Stubbs (1995, 2007). Using Corpus-Assisted Discourse Analysis (CADS), it investigates the meanings and functions of narrative as used by speakers on US media outlets between 1990 and 2019. The results show that narrative is used primarily with a negative connotation to denote six related and overlapping discourses or entities: (1) a claim, (2) a story, (3) an image or perception of someone or something, (4) an account, (5) a public discussion, news, information, etc. framed in a particular way, and (6) a worldview or ideology. The semantic profile of the word further shows how it is used to express a negative epistemic attitude toward discourses, signalling their unreliability and inviting the audience to question their truth value. Speakers thus seem to use the term strategically to undermine and refute others' claims, arguments, or views.