Markers of Attribution in English and Italian Opinion Articles: A Comparative Corpus-Based Study

The range & frequency of lexico-grammatical markers of attribution or reporting in English & Italian are examined here in two parallel corpora of opinion articles. It is found that the majority of reporting markers are verbs, nouns & adjectives in both corpora, & these markers are divided into six attitude groups, including, inter alia, neutral reporting, subjective reporting, reporting & creating argument. Discrepancies in the resources used in both languages are noted, such as the much greater variety of markers of argumentative reporting in English & the higher frequency of these markers, & it is suggested that the commentators in the English articles under consideration write in a way that encourages debate. The lack of argumentative types, & their low frequency, coupled with the high frequency of verbs which report evidence of an objective status quo in the Italian corpus, are interpreted as signs of a style of writing in the Italian opinion articles which is authoritative & seeks consensus rather than debate. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document