The political spin of conviction: a critical discourse analysis of the origin of Covid-19

Covid-19 has flared a match of accusation between U.S. and China. Both of the nations have alleged each other for the origin of the virus and the incompetence to contain it within the respective national boundary. The allegations have emerged at a critical period when the virus has infected the e...

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Main Author: Al-Mwzaiji, Khaled Nasser Ali
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2021
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16427/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16427/1/40766-149891-1-PB.pdf
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author Al-Mwzaiji, Khaled Nasser Ali
author_facet Al-Mwzaiji, Khaled Nasser Ali
author_sort Al-Mwzaiji, Khaled Nasser Ali
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Covid-19 has flared a match of accusation between U.S. and China. Both of the nations have alleged each other for the origin of the virus and the incompetence to contain it within the respective national boundary. The allegations have emerged at a critical period when the virus has infected the entire global population. The study identifies a political discourse, that is, ‘Lab origin theory’ out of these allegations and investigate the form, structure, and pattern of language in use following the methodology of Critical Discourse Analysis. The article contends that these allegations are based not on facts but on conviction, opinions, and beliefs which are expressed in the ‘spin’ or turn of retaliatory responses. Forming a series of exchanges these allegations promote certain truth-claims which are, in fact, subjective interpretations and hypothetical assumptions of the origin of Covid-19. The claims of ‘Lab origin’ are established with certain linguistic strategies and symbolic models, and their nature can be only understood with the phenomenon of Post-truth. The concept of Post-truth has been developed against the backdrop of controversial as well as political events of Brexit vote and the U.S. presidential election in 2016. Like these events, Covid-19 is an occasion of Post-truth and its Lab origin theory is a compromise between fact and belief.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:164272021-04-19T02:27:41Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16427/ The political spin of conviction: a critical discourse analysis of the origin of Covid-19 Al-Mwzaiji, Khaled Nasser Ali Covid-19 has flared a match of accusation between U.S. and China. Both of the nations have alleged each other for the origin of the virus and the incompetence to contain it within the respective national boundary. The allegations have emerged at a critical period when the virus has infected the entire global population. The study identifies a political discourse, that is, ‘Lab origin theory’ out of these allegations and investigate the form, structure, and pattern of language in use following the methodology of Critical Discourse Analysis. The article contends that these allegations are based not on facts but on conviction, opinions, and beliefs which are expressed in the ‘spin’ or turn of retaliatory responses. Forming a series of exchanges these allegations promote certain truth-claims which are, in fact, subjective interpretations and hypothetical assumptions of the origin of Covid-19. The claims of ‘Lab origin’ are established with certain linguistic strategies and symbolic models, and their nature can be only understood with the phenomenon of Post-truth. The concept of Post-truth has been developed against the backdrop of controversial as well as political events of Brexit vote and the U.S. presidential election in 2016. Like these events, Covid-19 is an occasion of Post-truth and its Lab origin theory is a compromise between fact and belief. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2021-02 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16427/1/40766-149891-1-PB.pdf Al-Mwzaiji, Khaled Nasser Ali (2021) The political spin of conviction: a critical discourse analysis of the origin of Covid-19. GEMA ; Online Journal of Language Studies, 21 (1). pp. 239-252. ISSN 1675-8021 https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/1372
spellingShingle Al-Mwzaiji, Khaled Nasser Ali
The political spin of conviction: a critical discourse analysis of the origin of Covid-19
title The political spin of conviction: a critical discourse analysis of the origin of Covid-19
title_full The political spin of conviction: a critical discourse analysis of the origin of Covid-19
title_fullStr The political spin of conviction: a critical discourse analysis of the origin of Covid-19
title_full_unstemmed The political spin of conviction: a critical discourse analysis of the origin of Covid-19
title_short The political spin of conviction: a critical discourse analysis of the origin of Covid-19
title_sort political spin of conviction: a critical discourse analysis of the origin of covid-19
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16427/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16427/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/16427/1/40766-149891-1-PB.pdf