Controversy and Discourse: The Arts of Transforming Negativity Through Transitivity

Abstract

Controversial topics make discourse complicated and hard to construct. However, through selected linguistic tools, the negativity of controversies can be subdued and reconstructed successfully. In this study, Halliday’s Transitivity System and van Leeuwen’s role allocation were utilized to show how speakers construct social actors in such a discourse to experientially reconstruct controversial topics without evoking negative feelings or creating conflicts. This study examined Jared Kushner’s interview on the peace deal to show how such a controversial topic was constructed. It was noted that Kushner utilized three tools. He (1) foregrounded noncontroversial participants and backgrounded controversial ones, (2) identified actions of noncontroversial participants and suppressed the actions of those who are controversial, and (3) activated positive aspects and passivated negative aspects. In doing so, Kushner evaded controversial arguments by selectively representing participants and their social roles to achieve strategic goals, for example, obtaining a positive response, subduing negativity, and eventually may succeed in encouraging his audience to listen or consider his view.