THE DISCOURSE OF THE ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGN : AN INTERTEXTUAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

It is generally recognised that ideological persuasion has a deep- rooted basis in the interrelationships between discourse and society. This study argues that ideological persuasion can be sustained, and subsequently become more latent. via the interrelationship discourses have with each other. This feature of discourse is intertextuality -- the idea that texts and discourse types inherently constitute other texts and discourse types. By investigating the discourse of an anti-smoking campaign in Singapore with specific reference to press publications, a case will be made for the role of the campaign press-ads and the smoking-related newspaper articles in maintaining a temporal continuity in anti-smoking propaganda. Essentially, the framework for studying intertextuality proposed by Fairclough (1992) will be used, with analysis being conducted on two levels -- on the level of individual texts and on the level of discourse as a whole. Chapter 2 describes the social background to anti-smoking campaigns, the general implications of campaign rhetoric and the role of the media in Singapore. This provides the justifications for adopting an intertextual approach in the study of the discourse of planned campaigns. Chapters 3 and 4 analyse the campaign ads and the newspaper articles respectively for the types of intertextual relations manifest and their attendant implications for ideological persuasion. To conclude, chapter 5 re-establishes the centrality of intertextuality by emphasising its crucial role in influencing discursive and social change.