AUT LibraryAUT
View Item 
  •   Open Research
  • AUT Faculties
  • Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies (Te Ara Auaha)
  • School of Communication Studies - Te Kura Whakapāho
  • View Item
  •   Open Research
  • AUT Faculties
  • Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies (Te Ara Auaha)
  • School of Communication Studies - Te Kura Whakapāho
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

The language of support: the case of the Christchurch earthquake

Theunissen, PS
Thumbnail
View/Open
The language of support.pdf (870.5Kb)
Petra Theunissen - The language.pdf (755.8Kb)
Permanent link
http://hdl.handle.net/10292/3675
Metadata
Show full metadata
Abstract
It is not unusual for spectators of a natural disaster to be affected by that disaster and to want to reach out to its victims – whether it be physically or spiritually. With the advent of the Internet and social media, many of these spectators use technologies to express their support and/or condolences. After the 2011 Christchurch earthquake messages posted to sites such as YouTube, nzherald.co.nz and TradeMe effectively became condolence books, and writing messages has become a ritual in contemporary society. Not surprisingly, the language of these messages is essentially one of support, evident in the inclusive “us” and “we”, and ubiquitous references to strength through prayer and family unity. This paper discusses a thematic analysis of roughly 1,500 messages of support posted on nzherald.co.nz between 22 February and 28 February 2011. Themes emerging showed a strong bias towards a belief in a benevolent God (Christian or otherwise), a focus on family and remaining strong under difficult conditions. Messages were future-oriented, expressing hope for recovery and unity while, at the same time identifying with victims. Negative emotions, such as anger and blame, were conspicuous in their absence. Language used indicated a perceived connection that spanned across geographical boundaries, and there appeared to be an unspoken assumption that those participating in the ritual of expressing support represented a community (albeit invisible) who felt the same.
Keywords
discourse; language; communication; identification; support; future; religion; benevolence; hope
Date
2011
Source
3rd New Zealand Discourse Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, 2011-12-05 - 2011-12-07
Item Type
Conference Contribution
Publisher
AUT University
Rights Statement
Auckland University of Technology (AUT) encourages public access to AUT information and supports the legal use of copyright material in accordance with the Copyright Act 1994 (the Act) and the Privacy Act 1993. Unless otherwise stated, copyright material contained on this site may be in the intellectual property of AUT, a member of staff or third parties. Any commercial exploitation of this material is expressly prohibited without the written permission of the owner.

Contact Us
  • Admin

Hosted by Tuwhera, an initiative of the Auckland University of Technology Library

 

 

Browse

Open ResearchTitlesAuthorsDateSchool of Communication Studies - Te Kura WhakapāhoTitlesAuthorsDate

Alternative metrics

 

Statistics

For this itemFor all Open Research

Share

 
Follow @AUT_SC

Contact Us
  • Admin

Hosted by Tuwhera, an initiative of the Auckland University of Technology Library