7 - A Changing Identity?

Summary

This chapter makes a comparison between the pre- and post-devolution phases of the corpus, and asks whether there have been any changes in the use of Scots lexis by the newspapers. If so, what conclusions can be drawn, and what explanations can be offered?

What Analysis of Newspaper Language can Teach us about Scottish Identity

As was argued in section 4.2, newspapers and national identity are crucially linked. As discussed in sections 4.2 and 4.4.5.1, both Anderson (1991) and Billig (1995) considered the media to be central to the development and maintenance of a sense of an imagined national community (for Anderson print media was key). McCrone claims that

Along with law, the Church, education and banking, the media can be ranked as a key civil institution in Scotland which reinforces national identity. After all, the press is often referred to as the ‘fourth estate’, reflecting its role in social politics in modern societies.

(McCrone 2001: 44–5, my emphasis)

As discussed in Chapter 4, newspapers have, for many years, been seen both as barometers of society and as powerful agents in fostering a sense of national identity. Andersen's (2001) study found that ‘those who read Scottish newspapers are more likely to have a strong Scottish identity’ though failed to reach firm conclusions as to the cause of this correlation. Was it that those who have a stronger sense of Scottish identity were more likely to read Scottish newspapers because they ‘cater’ for their viewpoint, or alternatively did more frequent reading of Scottish newspapers actually increase a sense of Scottish identity?