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Article published In:
Language, Context and Text
Vol. 2:2 (2020) ► pp.334–367

Cycling the city

Representation in the French media

| The University of Sydney
Using articles from two major French newspapers of contrasting ideological viewpoints, this study seeks to explore their representation of cycling the city, and their potential to position readers to view cycling favourably or unfavourably. The analysis, drawing on systemic functional linguistics’ appraisal framework, highlights the ways in which readers of both Le Figaro and Le Monde are positioned to take a positive view of cycling through their listings of the benefits of cycling or praise of bicycle-sharing systems. Conversely, readers may embrace a negative view through their reading about cycling casualties and safety issues. The analysis also shows that a reader of Le Monde might feel more inclined to take up cycling than a reader of Le Figaro.
Keywords: bicycle, cycling, transport, France, ideology, emerging cycling cities, urban individual transport, media discourse, environmental communication, appraisal
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Cycling in France and Paris
  • 3.Theoretical framework
  • 4.Data description
  • 5.Findings
    • 5.1Trends of news coverage of cycling
    • 5.2Benefits of cycling
    • 5.3Bicycle-sharing systems: Vélib’ and free-floating bikes
    • 5.4Sales of electric bikes and State subsidies
    • 5.5Cycling casualties and safety issues
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 18 September 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/langct.19012.lip
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