AbstractTitle: The Red Cross paper – sender strategies used to create interest and will to sacrifice. (Röda Korsets Tidning – Sändarstrategier för att väcka intresse och offervillighet)Number of pages: 56 (86 including enclosures)Author: Katarina Lif PikasTutor: Göran SvenssonCourse: Media and Communication studies DPeriod: Spring 2006University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala UniversityPurpose/Aim: The main purpose of the essay is to examine how the writers of the Red Cross paper try to establish a relationship to the reader. That is, what strategies language wise does the writers use to create a sense of closeness or distance, and secondly, to see if the strategies change over time A second purpose is to make a brief overview presentation over the form and the content of the paper during it’s time of existence. In content I include the function and the topics that the paper consists of.Material/Method: For my main purpose I examined 15 articles from five different years, three articles per year. The years I chose, were spread evenly over the years between when the paper was first published until present time. Those years were 1909, 1929, 1954, 1979 and 2004. I purposely avoided the years during or close to any of the world wars. For my second purpose I looked at all the articles in the papers from the years above. To be able to see what strategies the writers used I applied Ledin and Hellspong’s theory about interpersonal structure. I also used Ledin and Hellspongs model for examining the textual form, function and content.Main results: This study has shown that the senders during the early years appear to somewhat distance themselves to the readers, part of this can depend on the conventions of communication of the time. Over the years the senders seem to try to establish a more personal relationship to the readers. Today the regular approach is to address the reader directly by using you, as in first person singular. Social strategies are used to lessen the effects of exhortations. The content of the paper has shifted from ar...
