Presupposition, (ideological) knowledge management and gender: a socio-cognitive discourse analytical approach Alexandra Polyzou B.A. English Language and Literature Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece M.A. Language Studies Lancaster University, U.K. This thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy November 2012 ProQuest Number: 11003524 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11003524 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Abstract The thesis proposes cognitive linguistics, and in particular cognitive approaches to presupposition, as a suitable theoretical basis for critical discourse analysis, and explores empirically a sample of texts in order to examine knowledge management in relation to gender, sexuality and sexual health in Greek lifestyle magazines. I claim that theorising language in terms of cognition can account for the constructive aspect of discourse th.ough the accumulation of cognitive effects, while at the same time discourse is constructed by and reflects social structure in that discourse production draws on shared and commonly accepted knowledge and attitudes in any given context (Ch. 2). I argue that the way knowledge is not only drawn on but also reproduced or contested in discourse is related to the study of presupposition, including the presentation of propositions as ‘given’ (known and commonly accepted) and/or backgrounded and therefore incontestable. Presupposition has been defined and identified in very different ways within the critical study of discourse, and part of this thesis (Ch. 3) has aimed to disentangle this confusion by exploring the theoretical underpinnings and empirical applications of the concept within the field. I propose studying presupposition more systematically by explicitly taking into account the three parameters which seem to have always influenced the study of presupposition (defined prototypically as a figure-ground distinction where the ground is also triggered and necessary for meaning making): how open to contestation a belief is, how fore- or backgrounded it is, and whether (and to what extent) we can assume it to be known to potential audiences of a text (Ch. 4). ii In terms of methodology 1 suggest a method similar to the study of category norms in order to find out which items are considered prototypical members of a category at a particular point in time among a specific population; in this case the focus has been on discovering prototypical lifestyle magazine titles for the Greek public (see 5.2). I further explore the classification of texts in ‘genre categories’ based on communicative purpose when a discourse community does not have specific names for such categories (see 5.3); in this case, in Greece there are not always specific names for the different types of texts to be found in lifestyle magazines, at least among non-professionals. Finally, within each text I propose distinguishing among different levels of presupposition, from looking at framing activated by single lexical items to examining broad systems of belief or ‘discourses’ pertaining to the data (4.5 and 5.5). In terms of empirical critical discourse analysis, I chose to examine three texts on the issue of sexual health, one from Status (men’s magazine), one from Cosmopolitan and one from Marie Claire (women’s magazines) in relation to the negotiation between traditional and more recent (hetero)normative beliefs in relation to gender and sexual conduct. The analysis has focused on the frame and sentence levels and has indicated that although there is a higher degree of permissiveness in relation to female sexuality, women in Greece still have to choose or balance between traditional ideals of chastity and modesty and equally pressing imperatives of (penetrative heterosexual) sexual activity circulated (and taken for granted) in popular culture texts. Declaration I hereby confirm that this thesis is my own work, and has not been submitted substantially the same form for the award of a higher degree elsewhere. Alexandra Polyzou Lancaster University, November 2012 Exr| yiayia poo EAmvuay cn)V£%f| Tiriyfi spjrveuarig Kai 5uvapr|q To my grandmother Elpiniki, constant source of strength and inspiration Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my parents, Eleni Tsourdalaki and Dimitris Polyzos - for their financial support, their help and their patience. Also my little brother Nikos for the inspiration, and my extended family for their support. I must acknowledge my father’s help specifically with the data collection in Greece - he would make an excellent researcher! I cannot thank enough my supervisor Paul Chilton, but I will try by pointing out that ‘O psv yap poi to (rjv C/op mam, o 3s to Kalcoq Cfjv snaiSsvasv Despite any remaining weaknesses, the thesis has benefitted a lot by Paul’s critical and insightful comments and unwavering support. I have had the good fortune to have met some very inspiring teachers throughout my education, and I would like to acknowledge influence of the academic staff of the Department of English Language and Literature, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki during the years 1999-2002, and some of them beyond this period. The people from the Department of Linguistics and (Modern) English Language to whom I am grateful are too numerous to mention here - members of staff, colleagues and fellow students Lancaster-based, away or visiting. Many thanks to Marjorie Wood, administrative co-ordinator, for having solutions to all sorts of problems and for her kindness and support for problems that have no solutions. Among the academic staff I am particularly indebted to Ruth Wodak and Elena Semino for help and inspiration in various academic, administrative and professional issues. Working with Greg Myers and Mark Sebba has also been a valuable contribution to my professional development. I would like to also thank the members of the Lancaster University Research Groups: the Gender and Language Research Group/ RiGLs, especially Surin Kaur whose passion and critical mind have been very inspiring, as well as the Pragmatics and Stylistics Research Group and the Language, Ideology and Power Research Group. Among my many inspiring, critical and influential fellow students and colleagues, I would like to thank the more specifically Steve Oswald and Paul Sarazin for interesting discussions on ideology, cognition and manipulation, Konstantia Kosetzi on Faircloughian CDA and aspects of gender and language research, Dimitra Vladimirou for her expertise on academic writing. In addition, they have all been sources of inspiring and critical comments on a variety of issues as well as support and encouragement. I am also grateful, for both academic inspiration and emotional support, to Salomi Boukala, Berhnard and Simone Forchtner, Costas Gabrielatos, Ele Lamb (special thanks for proofreading parts of the thesis), Adele Peticlerc, Katerina Psarikidou, Ayako Tominari and Ana Tominc. In addition to providing the above, Helen Hargreaves, Janina Iwaniec, Kathrin Kaufhold, Amelie Kutter, Sharon McCulloch, Sylva Svejdarova and Ulrike Zschache have offered the warmest hospitality I could have expected. Thanks to Laura Cariola and Anthony Capstick for the positive vibes. From Oxford Brookes University, thanks to Alon Lischinsky, Michelle Paule and Tom Tyler. Special thanks to Urszula Skrzypik for her kindness and generosity. Teun van Dijk has offered valuable comments on Ch. 2 - although I have not taken up all of them here, they have nevertheless been stimulating food for thought. Thanks to Majid KhosraviNik for being there through various stages of this thesis and offering insightful critique as well as emotional and practical support. Conversations with Chris Hart and John Richardson have been inspiring during the latest stages of my thesis. Finally, I am grateful to all participants who filled in the questionnaires analysed in Ch. 5, helping thus with the data selection. The Greek State Scholarship Foundation (IKY) has provided funding for the thesis. The William Ritchie Travel Fund of Lancaster University has made it possible for me to present my work at the conferences IPrA 2011 and CADAAD 2012. Table of contents Abstract ii Declaration iv Dedication V Acknowledgments vi Table of Contents ix List of figures and tables xiii 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Theoretical background 1 1.2. Gender relations in contemporary Greece 4 1.3. Research questions 9 1.4. Outline of the thesis 15 2. Discourse, cognition and society 18 2.1. Introduction 18 2.2. Interrelation of Discourse, Cognition and Society 18 2.2.1. Discourse 18 2.2.2. Discourse and cognition - Discursive psychology 23 a. Studying cognition is essentialist 24 b. Studying cognition (in relation to language) means assuming cognition (and/or language) to be stable 27 c. Studying cognition is individualistic 28 d. Cognition cannot be observed and therefore cannot be studied 30 2.2.3. Conclusion 31 2.3. Discourse and Cognition in CDA 32 2.4. Aspects of social cognition 36 2.4.1. Ideology vs. Knowledge 41 2.5. Mental models 44 2.5.1. Frames- definitions and related terms 44 2.5.2. Personal and social cognitive representations 47 2.5.3. Stereotypes 48 2.6. Gender and discourse 59 2.6.1. Gender, discourse and social representations 59 2.6.2. Feminist linguistics and CDA 61 2.6.3. Gender, cognition and critical discourse analysis 63 2.7. Conclusion 66 3. Presupposition - a review 67 3.1.