What’s so special about (the) circus - and who says so? A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of value difference and mediation in promotional texts

Kavanagh, Katharine Sarah 2024. What’s so special about (the) circus - and who says so? A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of value difference and mediation in promotional texts. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

	PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Restricted to Repository staff only until 11 July 2025 due to copyright restrictions. Download (6MB)
	PDF (Cardiff University Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Form) - Supplemental Material Restricted to Repository staff only Download (1MB)

Abstract

This research investigates the value that is attributed to the experience of attending circus performance in the UK via evaluative texts. Specifically, a comparison is made between the direct language of audience members, and the mediated language of reviews and publicity materials, from the period immediately pre-and post-Covid-19 pandemic. The research explores which elements of circus audience experience are under- or over-represented in these particular text types, and draws conclusions that highlight gaps in the communicative potential of promotional discourse in the UK circus field. A novel corpus linguistic methodology is applied to investigate the evaluative targets within the texts, triangulating results from a Key Semantic Domain analysis (Rayson et al. 2004) with complementary results from a tailored quali-quantitative analysis framework derived from Martin and White’s (2005) APPRAISAL system. Results show that the values expressed through audience interviews are least aligned with those promoted in publicity materials, while published reviews occupy a mid-point between the two, albeit more closely aligned with publicity materials than with direct interviews. Commonalities and distinctiveness between the three corpora are discussed—such as differing volumes of affect-based and object-based reporting, the varying importance placed on qualities of novelty, cognitive messaging, and social experience, and strategies of legitimisation—and attention is drawn to the lack of vocabulary or discursive confidence among audience members in direct interviews. Ultimately, recommendations are made for ways in which promoters of circus work can more effectively align their publicity materials with audience values. Moreover, a broader recommendation is made for the UK circus sector to develop strategies for better articulating the variety and diversity of 21st Century circus, to foster more representative public perceptions and further align industry and audience values

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Additional Information:	Please also see the MA dissertation "Valuing circus: A corpus-assisted critical discourse investigation of review texts" at the link below as both works are directly linked.
Funders:	Economic and Social Research Council
Related URLs:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170...
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 July 2024
Last Modified:	11 Jul 2024 13:12
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170486

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item