أطراس
Volume 7, Numéro 1, Pages 299-315
2026-01-15

Cohesion In Persuasive Media Texts: An Analysis Of Ghanaian Newspaper Editorials Through The Lens Of Systemic Functional Linguistics



Authors : Mohammed Alhassan . Frimpong George Kodie . Mintah Kingsley Cyril .

Abstract

This study examines the use of cohesion in Ghanaian newspaper editorials with the aim of exploring how cohesive devices are patterned in the persuasive editorial text. Drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics’ Cohesion framework, the study analyzes twenty (20) editorials purposively sampled from two established newspapers in Ghana: The Ghanaian Times and The Daily Guide. A mixed method design was employed to engage in the linguistic analysis of cohesive patterns across the corpus. The findings reveal a striking dominance of grammatical cohesion, particularly reference (75.1%) and conjunction (22%), while ellipsis (1.8%) and substitution (1.1%) appear only marginally. Lexical cohesion is primarily achieved through reiteration (83.4%), with collocation (16.6%) playing a secondary role. These patterns indicate a deliberate editorial strategy where cohesion is not merely a linguistic necessity but a rhetorical tool for guiding reader interpretation, asserting ideological positions, and maintaining textual unity. Critically, the study argues that cohesive devices in editorial writing are instrumental in shaping the argumentative structure of editorials. The overwhelming reliance on reference and reiteration suggests that Ghanaian newspaper editorials prefer maintaining topic continuity, reinforcing authorial stance, and foregrounding thematic salience: techniques that are central to the persuasive and ideological functions of editorial texts.

Keywords

Coherence ; Cohesion ; Editorials ; Newspaper ; Systemic Functional Linguistics

Les articles similaires

A Contrastive Analysis Of The Use Of Hedges In English And Arabic Newspaper Editorials

Nesba Kaouther . 
pages 342-355.

Use Of Interactional Metadiscourse Markers In Pakistani Newspaper Editorials: A Corpus-based Study

Ahmad Muhammad .  Mehtab Amna .  Mehtab Fatima . 
pages 195-208.

A Translation Quality Assessment Of Interpersonal Theme In Al-hikam Aphorishm (arabic – Indonesia – English): Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach

Anis Muhammad Yunus .  Nababan Mangatur .  Santosa Riyadi .  Masrukhi Mohammad . 
pages 153-177.

Using Systemic Functional Linguistics As A Tool Of Assessing Students’ Academic Writing-

Ghaskil Abir Soundous . 
pages 23-32.

Guidelines On Incorporating Systemic Functional Linguistics In Teaching History To Efl Students

Yousfi Nabila . 
pages 393-407.

Formats de citation