Grammar: 💡 Effective Word Choice & Style - Advanced (C2) - Lesson 4: Critical Discourse Analysis - Examining the relationship between language, power, and ideology in texts

The Analyst C2

🕵️‍♀️

Critical Analysis

Language, Power & Ideology

1. Mystification of Agency

Powerful groups often use the Passive Voice to hide *who* did something, especially if the action is negative. This removes blame.

Clear:	"Police shot the protesters."
Obscured:	"Protesters were shot."

2. Nominalization

Turning a verb (process) into a noun (thing). This makes an action feel like a static fact that cannot be changed, or removes the people involved.

Verb:	"The factory polluted the river."
Noun:	"Pollution is a problem."

3. Lexical Framing

Choosing words with specific connotations to influence the reader's judgment.

Example:

• "Freedom Fighters" (Positive/Heroic)
• "Rebels" (Neutral/Negative)
• "Terrorists" (Highly Negative)

Headline Decoder 📰

Reveal the hidden bias.

Source: Corporate Press Release

"Mistakes were made regarding the accounting errors."

Technique: Agentless Passive.
Hidden Meaning: "We made mistakes, but we don't want to admit exactly *who* did it to avoid lawsuits."

Source: Government Report

"The implementation of the relocation policy caused displacement."

Technique: Nominalization ("Implementation", "Relocation", "Displacement").
Hidden Meaning: "We forced people to move." By using heavy nouns, it sounds like a scientific process rather than human suffering.

Source: Tabloid Newspaper

"Swarms of migrants flood the border."

Technique: Dehumanizing Metaphor.
Hidden Meaning: Words like "Swarm" (insects) and "Flood" (disaster) frame the people as a dangerous force of nature, not humans seeking help.

Bias Spotter 🧐

Identify the strategy.

1. "A restructuring of the workforce is required." instead of "We are firing people."

2. Why would a politician say "Taxes were raised" instead of "I raised taxes"?

3. Using "Expats" for Westerners and "Immigrants" for others is an example of:

Mission 📝

Rewrite history.

Scenario: The Apology

A company spilled oil in the ocean. They wrote:
"An unfortunate incident involving oil leakage occurred."

Rewrite this to be HONEST (Active Voice + Agency):

Write: "We spilled oil..." or "Our company caused..."