Transitivity as a Tool for Ideological Analysis

Abstract

INTRODUCTION This article examines the application of transitivity, from the Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG), as a theoretical tool in the analysis of ideology in the print media. The data under study comprises extracts from the reportage of the run-up to the 1997 general elections in the Kenyan print media. (1) The analysis aims to identify and explain how ideology is constructed and presented through language use in three Kenyan newspapers, viz., the Daily Nation, the East African Standard and the Kenya Times. Emphasis is placed on the construction of ideological discourse using representational process of transitivity thus revealing the close relation between language and ideology. The findings indicate that linguistic choices in transitivity play a fundamental role in propagation and perpetuation of implicit and dominant ideologies, and that there are certain ideological differences that are perpetuated either tacitly or overtly in newspaper headlines. The article is divided into four sections. The first section situates the study within Kenya by providing a political background of the country and a brief history of the three newspapers under investigation. The next two sections outline the basic tenets of transitivity from Systemic Functional Grammar and an analysis of the data. The last section offers concluding remarks about the association between language and ideology. POLITICAL BACKGROUND Kenya attained its independence on 12 December 1963 with Jomo Kenyatta as the first president of the country. In the years preceding independence there were two main political parties, namely, the Kenya African National Union (KANU) and the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU). The two parties merged into one, viz., KANU, immediately after independence (2) Oginga Odinga, Kenya's first vice president, dissatisfied by KANU's policies, formed an opposition party, the Kenya's Peoples Union (KPU) in 1966. The KPU was banned by the Kenyatta government in 1969 and its leaders were sentenced to jail. In effect, Kenya became a de facto one party state (3). President Kenyatta died in August 1978 and was succeeded by the vice president Daniel Arap Moi. During Moi's presidency Kenya remained a de facto one party state until 1982. In 1982 Parliament amended the constitution, inserting a section (2a) that recognized KANU as the only political party, thus making Kenya a de jure one party state (4). Despite the constitutional amendment, opposition to Moi's rule never withered. Political pluralism had wide support in Kenya, contrary to what KANU was saying. More Kenyans began to speak openly and defiantly against the state. Oginga Odinga launched another political movement in August 1991. He teamed up with five other veteran politicians to form the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD), a pressure group whose main objective was to fight for the restoration of democracy and human rights in Kenya (5). KANU succumbed to the citizens' demands and in 1991 Parliament amended the constitution repealing section 2a, making Kenya a de jure multi-party state (6). On 29 December 1992 the civic, parliamentary and presidential elections were held in a multi-party system. KANU emerged the winner. Exactly five years after the 1992 elections, the next elections were held in 1997. There were various registered political parties that participated in the 1997 elections, namely, KANU, FORD-Kenya, FORD-Asili, FORD-People, Democratic Party, the National Development Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Kenya Social Congress and the Kenya National Democratic Alliance, Safina among others. By the 1997 elections there were three daily newspapers in circulation in Kenya, the Daily Nation, the East African Standard and the Kenya Times. All three newspapers were written in English. The Daily Nation is partly owned by His Highness, Aga Khan who holds 45% of the shares while the Kenyan public owns 55% of the shares. …