Mood Analysis of COVID-19 Messages: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach to Understanding Public Health Communication
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47604/ijl.3009Keywords:
COVID-19, Messages, Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), Mood Analysis, Public Health Communication, Interpersonal MetafunctionAbstract
Purpose: This study examines how Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), particularly through mood analysis, can enhance understanding of public health communication related to COVID-19. The aim is to explore the use of mood types in health messages to convey risk, provide instructions, and manage public vulnerability during the pandemic.
Methodology: Utilizing a qualitative and quantitative approach, this study analyzed 100 COVID-19 health messages sourced from government websites, social media, and public health announcements. The messages were categorized according to their mood type imperative (commands) and declarative (statements) to assess their functional roles in conveying public health information. Data were tabulated to illustrate the frequency of each mood type and their implications for public health communication.
Findings: The analysis revealed that 70% of the messages were in the imperative mood, highlighting the urgency of issuing clear directives to the public. In contrast, 30% of the messages were in the declarative mood, providing essential information and reassurance. This distribution indicates a strategic use of language in public health messaging to promote compliance while fostering public trust.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of SFL mood analysis in public health communication by illustrating how mood types influence public perception and behavior during a crisis. The findings offer practical insights for health authorities to enhance communication strategies, ensuring that messages are both directive and informative. Additionally, this research informs policymakers about effective messaging practices to improve health outcomes during future public health crises.
Downloads
References
Al-Masri, M., & Al-Shboul, Y. (2021). Mood analysis of COVID-19 social media posts: A systemic functional linguistics approach. Journal of Language and Linguistics, 20(3), 638–653.
Christie, F. (2002). Classroom discourse analysis. Continuum.
Christie, F., & Martin, J. R. (2007). Genre and institutions: Social processes in the workplace and school. Continuum.
Eggins, S. (2004). An introduction to systemic functional linguistics. Continuum.
Eggins, S. (2005). Systemic functional linguistics and discourse analysis. In R. Wodak & P. Chilton (Eds.), A new agenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp. 21–40). John Benjamins.
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Polity Press.
Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing discourse: Textual analysis for social research. Routledge.
Gunnarsson, B. (2005). Professional discourse in the workplace. Peter Lang.
Gunnarsson, B. (2009). Professional discourse. Continuum.
Halliday, M. A. K. (1978). Language as social semiotic. Edward Arnold.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2004). An introduction to functional grammar. Arnold.
Iedema, R. (2003). Multimodality, resemiotization, and the subject. Semiotica, 144(1/4), 1–40.
Iedema, R. (2007). Communicating health. Palgrave Macmillan.
Khajeh, E., et al. (2021). Mood analysis of COVID-19 social media posts. Journal of Health Communication.
Khoja, S. A., et al. (2020). Linguistic analysis of COVID-19 news headlines. Journal of Language and Communication.
Lee, S., et al. (2020). Discourse analysis of COVID-19 public health announcements. Journal of Public Health.
Liu, X., et al. (2020). Mood and modality in COVID-19 health communication. Journal of Medical Communication.
Lupton, D. (1992). Discourse analysis and health promotion. Health Education Research, 7(2), 233–244.
Lupton, D. (2003). Medicine as culture. Sage.
Martin, J. R. (1992). English text: System and structure. John Benjamins.
Myers, G. (2003). Discourse studies of health communication. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 23, 105–124.
Myers, G. (2005). Applied linguistics and health communication. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 25, 105–124.
Nordquist, R. (2019, February 11). Declarative and imperative sentences. ThoughtCo.
Rahman, M. M., et al. (2020). Linguistic features of COVID-19 pandemic communication. Journal of Communication in Healthcare.
Sarangi, S. (2005). The language of healthcare. Palgrave Macmillan.
Sarangi, S. (2009). Discourse and communication in healthcare. Peter Lang.
Wodak, R. (2001). What CDA is about – A summary of its history, important concepts, and its developments. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis (pp. 1–13). Sage.
Wodak, R. (2005). Discourse and identity. In R. Wodak & P. Chilton (Eds.), A new agenda in (critical) discourse analysis (pp. 1–20). John Benjamins.
Zhang, Y., & Li, X. (2020). Mood analysis of COVID-19 news headlines: A systemic functional linguistics perspective. Discourse, Context & Media, 35, 100431.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Muhammad Babangida Muhammad
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
