Linguistic Strategies in the Discourse of “Roirueang-Robloak” World News Documentaries on “Robloak by Karuna Buakamsri” YouTube Channel

Abstract

         This article aims to study linguistic strategies in the discourse of “Roirueang-Robloak” world news documentaries on “Robloak by Karuna Buakamsri” YouTube channel. The researcher employs the concepts of Pragmatics in conjunction with discourse analysis and examines linguistic strategies based on the wording used in the narration by Karuna Buakamsee. The researcher collected data published from January 1 to December 31, 2022, totaling 25 episodes with a combined duration of 7 hours and 7 minutes.

          The study of the linguistic strategies shows that there are 13 main strategies, categorized according to their primary communication purposes. These include: 1. To broaden the audience’s perspective and evoke empathy with the presented issues, particularly those that are distant from their personal experiences by 1) Using specific vocabulary 2) Employing various sentence structures 3) Using metaphors 4) Providing details 2. To enable the audiences to see the group of people that the show wishes to present that is different from the general public by 1) Employing various sentence structures 2) Using terms of reference that indicate an “us” vs. “them” distinction 3. To prompt the audience to reflect and empathize with the issue the presenter is highlighting, this includes 1) Using rhetorical questions 2) Using presupposition 3) Using modality 4. To present factual knowledge i.e. 1) Providing numerical data 2) Offering comparative information 3) Citing credible sources 4) Referencing other perspectives 5. To present linguistic styles that are a characteristic feature of the presenter such as 1) Using alliterative words 2) Creating new expressions 3) Using foreign phrases. Linguistic strategies are a crucial element in achieving the communication objectives.