Obama under fire for Ground Zero mosque defence

Upholding high status

Textual representation of politicians with high status

Of Internet news texts

Nominative and compositional portrayal of politicians in the body

Part 2

The order of nominative units in the Internet news stories aims at depicting high, relative or low status of a politician. It is revealed by the number of anthroponyms, common nouns and pronouns used in a text as well as their distribution.

The high status of a public figure is usually represented in the Internet news by anthroponyms and verbs upholding, elevating and lowering the status.

The maintenance of high status is reflected by the repetition of anthroponyms in the initial positions of headlines and paragraphs in the body of a text.

Obama defends right to build mosque near 9/11 site

US President Barack Obama has staunchly defended controversial plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero in New York.

Opponents have protested against the construction of an Islamic cultural centre and mosque several hundred feet away from the site of the Twin Towers.

Mr Obama acknowledged "sensitivities" surround the 9/11 site, but said Muslims have the same right to practise their religion "as anyone else".

"Our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable," Mr Obama said.

I suppose that in the land of the free, people are free to build a mosque”

Since a New York developer announced plans to build a 13-storey Islamic community centre and mosque about two blocks from the former World Trade Center site, prominent Republican politicians and a host of conservative pundits have attacked the project.

Some relatives of people killed in the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 are also opposed to the plan.

In a speech at a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, Mr Obama waded into the row (14.08.10).

2.1.2. Lowering high status is aimed at undermining the reputation of a public figure which is reflected in the increase of the number of the nominative units denoting his opponents throughout the whole text.

President Barack Obama has come under fire over his defence on Friday of a developer's right to build a mosque blocks from Ground Zero in New York.

Republicans said Mr Obama was out of step with America on the project.

"It's unwise to build a mosque a the site where 3,000 Americans lost their lives as a result of a terrorist attack," Senator John Cornyn said.

On Saturday, Mr Obama said he was backing the rights of the developers, not the "wisdom" of the project.

Since a New York developer announced plans to build a 13-storey Islamic community centre and mosque about two blocks from the former World Trade Center site, prominent Republican politicians and a host of conservative pundits have attacked the project.

At a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan on Friday, Mr Obama vigorously defended the developers' right to put the mosque there "in accordance with local laws and ordinances".

Muslims "have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country", the president said (16.08.10).

Дата добавления: 2014-12-24