10. Summary, conclusions, and discussion

10.1 Summary

The primary aim of the present study was to describe linguistic change and continuity in the language of English up-market editorials during the 20th century. The study is based on a corpus of 864 editorials, comprising just above 500,000 words, from , the Guardian and . To make a systematic diachronic study , the editorials were chosen to represent periods at ten-year intervals. The method used was basically quantitative in so far as statistical tools were applied to compare the frequencies of the features chosen for investigation, across decades as well as across . However, for an interpretation of the results arrived at, a qualitative perspective was necessary. In Chapters 3 to 8, sets of features that previous research has proved to be representative of different types of discourse were investigated. As the patterns of development for the features within each set were often divergent, a reinterpretation of the functions of the features was necessary. In Chapter 9, the old sets were reanalysed and new ones established on the basis of shared development patterns as well as shared linguistic/stylistic functions, characteristic of the editorials.

10.2 Linguistic change and continuity as reflected in the editorials

From the results obtained, is evident that the language of the editorials became more informal over the years but at the same more integrated and lexically more specific and diverse. Interactional features, such as questions and imperatives, increased in use. The sentences became shorter and the subordinate clauses fewer, which can be interpreted in two ways. The reduced sentence complexity can either be the result of the authors’ striving for greater information density, or it can be the result of their striving for increased informality since shorter sentences are easier to process and therefore more “reader-friendly”. The reduced use of passives during the second half of the century can also be explained in different ways. It can be the result of the authors’ ambition to 164 Language Change in English Editorials make the language as compact as possible by using abbreviated participle clauses instead of clauses with a finite verb, but it can also be the result of their ambition to distance themselves from too impersonal and abstract language. Consequently, two conflicting linguistic paradigms are at work in the editorials: the aspiration for informality and the aspiration for information density and lexical specificity, the former probably the result of an adjustment to a new and broader reading public and the latter the result of an adjustment to the special “house styles” that developed over the years. In addition to changes relating to formality and information density, we also notice a change as regards narrativity. The ‘narrativeness’, which was a prominent feature in the editorials at the beginning of the century, gradually decreased, and by 1970 the new, non-narrative style had established itself. Linguistic history is not only a matter of change, however, but a matter of change and continuity, which is also shown in the present study. As a matter of fact, almost half of the features investigated showed linguistic continuity. Many of them were linked with sets of features that either increased or decreased in use, and, in most cases, a plausible reason could be given for the diverging patterns of development. However, there were also features for which no such links were discernible, namely those associated with argumentative discourse and with reporting, which indicates that these features carry important basic functions inherent in the editorials and therefore did not change over time.

10.3 Differences between the newspapers

A comparison of the three newspapers reveals a clear linguistic/stylistic difference between the Guardian, on the one hand, and The Times and the Daily Telegraph, on the other. The language of the Guardian was the most informal, with the highest frequencies of conversational features such as questions, imperatives, and contractions, whereas that of The Times was the most compact and integrated. The Daily Telegraph showed the greatest lexical and specificity and also the greatest sentence complexity of the three newspapers. As far as narrativity is concerned, the Guardian scored the highest and The Times the lowest. The fact that the conversational and narrative tone is more conspicuous in the Guardian editorials than in those of the other two newspapers gives an indication that the Guardian authors direct themselves to a readership that is somewhat broader than that of The Times and the Daily Telegraph. While keeping their position as an up-market newspaper, they are approaching the domain of the mid-market ones, such as the , the , and Today. The editorial writers of the Daily Telegraph and The Times, on the other hand, in using less informal language and in paying more attention to the presentation of information than does the Guardian, wish to emphasize the position of their newspapers as up-market newspapers. However, even though there are linguistic/stylistic differences between the editorials of the three newspapers investigated, a joint pattern of development can be observed. Towards of the period studied, the language used in English