Genre: the editorial

Institutional memory appears in various aspects of military discourse; texts pro- duced by the military being one of such aspects. Selected here, as the focus of analysis, are editorials from an unofficial military publication because they are a genre in which the author’s opinion is most directly expressed. Another reason for this selection is that by being manifestations of the civil façade of the military of- ficers these editorials could potentially show differences with the institution’s offi- cial position.

According to van Dijk (1988, 1996) editorial opinions are explicit and domi- nant, formulated from the point of view of the journalist or the periodical. These opinions tend to be defended by a series of arguments, and therefore an editorial has an argumentative structure. This argumentation is not only defensive but also per- suasive. The editorial aims to contribute to the formation of the reader’s opinion (van Dijk 1996; Bolívar 1998). The editorials are one of the mechanisms of expres- sion and reproduction of the institution’s social memory of the dictatorship period.

10. “Ahora se nos ataca, se nos pretende ofender, se nos incriminan hechos ya laudados. Se pretende de todas formas que rompamos el silencio” (mayo-julio 1996).

฀ What We Remember

A prototypical editorial, according to van Dijk (1996), aims to comment on current events and is constituted by the following sections: a summary of the event, an evaluation of the event (especially of the actions and the actors) and a prag- matic conclusion that includes a recommendation or a warning. The characteris- tics of this genre at the lexico-grammar level include (Bolívar 1994; 1998):

a. the use of personal pronouns and markers that identify the writer

b. the use of resources of modality to express the writer’s opinion with respect to the events

c. the use of evaluation

d. the variation of verbal tenses (generally in this genre the last section returns to the present)

e. the use of temporal adjuncts in order to organize the text (above all in the summary section)

f. the use of rhetorical questions to give information in an evaluative manner or to evaluate information already given.

The selected editorials have as a goal the construction of a version of the historical events related to the dictatorship. The following table (Table 1) analyzes the functional sections by which these texts are organized.

Table 1. Editorials (genre analysis by functional constituents)

Text 1

– presentation of the topic (principal argument): support of the

January-February

Law of expiry.

– evaluation of the argument: summary of the military institu-

tion’s opinions. – recognition of the problems of the position supported by the principal argument: it doesn’t vindicate the heroic deed of the Armed Forces

– critique of the opposing argument: it creates a climate of chaos,

does not search for reconciliation – evidence and support of the principal argument: moral validity, support of the Commander and Chief of the Army. – conclusion: reiteration of the motives to support the argument: identity of the aims of the institution and the nation. Mission of the Armed Forces

Chapter 4. Analysis of editorials of a military magazine, El Soldado (1986–1996) 

Text 2

– presentation of the topic (principal argument): questioning of

April-May

the reactions against the law of expiry

– evaluation of the law – counter-argument: response to the discourse of the Other.

Through listing the effects of the questioning of the law in the military ‘family’ and questioning the opposition’s actions.

– conclusion: compromise with the institution and reaffirmation

of its defense in adverse situations.

Text 3

– presentation of the topic (principal argument): evaluation of

April

the results of the plebiscite

– evaluation of the results – chronology of the events that led to the plebiscite as support of

the argument – evaluation of the meaning of the results – response to other interpretations of the results (counter-argu-

mentation) – conclusion: skepticism about the future of the topic of human

rights

Text 4

– presentation of the topic (principal argument): memory con-

January-April

struction, commemoration of the day of “the fallen heroes in

the fight against the sedition” – anecdotes that support the principal argument – conclusion: reaffirmation of the importance of remembering

this date and its meaning

Text 5

– presentation of the topic (principal argument): the value of si-

– evaluation of the silence – response to those that question these values or this position – supporting evidence for the principal argument: laws, support

of the government and the citizenship – conclusion: exhortation to respect the results of the plebiscite

and close the debate on the topic.

The previous table shows how a classic argumentative structure exists in these editorials, although there are variations in its instantiation. What these texts have in common on the generic level, in addition to having the same communicative aim, is that they are constituted by:

a. a principal topic, an evaluation of the situation or the argument

b. a counter-argument (optional)

c. a presentation of evidence that supports the argument

d. a conclusion.

฀ What We Remember

This description of the editorials permits one to see their argumentative character at the macro-level. How this argumentative structure is realized at the discourse- semantic and lexico-grammar levels is investigated in the following section.

Genre: the editorial