The Rhetoric of Letters to the Editor: A Systematic Functional Approach

Abstract

Letters to the editor (LTEs) are considered as a platform of media discourse, serving as an important avenue for public engagement and perspective exchange on important societal issues. However, this form of communication remains under-researched, as reflected in the study’s literature review. Accordingly, the present study analyzes the rhetorical pattern and elements in several LTEs published in the Toronto Sun newspaper, using the Generic Structure Potential (GSP) model drawn from the Systematic Functional Linguistics (SFL) framework proposed by Halliday and Hasan (1998). The qualitative analysis explored seven key rhetorical elements—Run-on Headline (RH), Background Information (BI), Addressing an Issue (AI), Initiating Argumentation (IA), Argumentation (A), Concluding Remarks (CR), and Articulating a Solution (AS). These elements together form the rhetorical structure RH^[(BI).AI]^[(IA)^A]^[(AS).(CR)], which enhances the overall coherence and persuasive impact of texts. Utilizing the GSP model, the study tends to examine how rhetorical elements are arranged within LTEs to involve readers and create public opinion. The findings can significantly provide insights into the construction of persuasive communication within LTE sub-genre. This study also contributes to the understanding of the planned organization of rhetorical elements, underscoring significant implications for pedagogy, journalism, media studies, and among other fields.