Persuasion in Instructions of COVID-19 by Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health

This study analyzes the persuasive strategies of instructions used by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Saudi Arabia. It is intended to emphasize the given instructions and advice provided by the Saudi Arabia MoH. Twenty-four short service messages on Coronavirus are randomly selected and analyzed to identify the Aristotle’s three major persuasive strategies exploration used as a baseline. To measure the nature and relevance of the persuasive strategies, textual content analysis is used. This hopefully cultivate their interest in learning further about the persuasive context used in different fields of linguistic endeavor. It is concluded that MoH has used a variety of persuasive techniques and tones. It is revealed that the MoH uses the strategies of persuasion separately or combined with each other. These strategies involve the use of logos, pathos, and ethos. It is also found that in every persuasive strategy, there are different techniques that can be specified and pointed out, affirming that multiple techniques may apply in one strategy or another. Moreover, the most recurrent types of persuasive strategies used in text exploration are ethos and logos, while in persuasive techniques; simple and direct language, emergency information language and personal pronoun are predominantly used based on the content analysis. In addition, purposeful and reasonable tones are highly emphasized in the text exploration. Original Research Article Bajri; JPRI, 33(42B): 124-138, 2021; Article no.JPRI.72738 125


INTRODUCTION
We live in a world in which the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain. Where we can feel a sense of security in one place that we feel the safest, our home. As global pandemic crisis has stretched around the world, the spread of social phenomena has become more powerful. This COVID-19 greatly affects the lifestyle of many.
A novel strain of coronavirus -SARS-CoV-2was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, a city in China's Hubei province. The virus has been spread to over 200 countries and territories across the globe and has been characterized as 'pandemic' by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020 [1].
Rapid information dissemination of disclosure is a priority for virus attack prevention. A daily press release system has been established to ensure effective and efficient disclosure of epidemic information. Education and governments are launched to promote precautionary measures in visiting public places. Also, the general public is motivated to report risk factors for coronavirus infection, including travel history and close contacts with confirmed or suspected cases.
The power of language can be defined as the super charged term that is used in suitable situations. It is a persuasive, and convenienttrigger that can tap into a hard-to-reach segment of the electorate and get them to act. Altikriti [2] indicates that persuading someone means performing an act by using some method of communication, i.e., language. As such, language persuasion is an important part of a society where communicators try to convince others to change their beliefs or behaviors and essential factor to the power of setting decisions, influencing people's attitudes, and even controlling their values in considering an issue via messages. With these, the MoH in Saudi Arabia has released a short message services (SMSs) in order to keep the people safe by staying at home and following certain precautionary measures [2][3][4][5]. MoH is dedicated to the mission assigned to it, namely, the provision of healthcare at all levels, promotion of general health, and prevention of the virus. Moreover, MoH is also responsible for monitoring performance in health institutions, both public and private.
On the other hand, Scheidel [3] defines persuasion as "the activity in which the speaker and the listener are conjoined and in which the speaker consciously attempts to influence the behavior of the listener by transmitting audible and visible symbolic" [1]. On the basis of persuasion notions, persuasion depends on two aspects: communication and intention to convince the audience to follow a specific track. Aristotle [4] has made a link between communication and persuasion in terms of three main ways of persuasion: appeal by reason, appeal by ethics, and appeal by emotion (aesthetical). The distinction between these three modes is further mirrored in the threefold division of styles: Ethos: persuasion through personality and stance; Pathos: persuasion through the arousal of emotion; and Logos: persuasion through reasoning [2][3].
The use of text message-based persuasion has taken root in the health industry at this time of crisis, but it has mainly been limited to reminder texts for attending appointments and taking medication. Short service messages has many promising applications in the realm of the MoH.
This study focuses on the persuasive strategies of giving instructions and advice through Saudi's Ministry of Health selected short service messages against Coronavirus, analyzing the words, phrases, and terms used. This is meant to shed some light on the persuasive strategies used by MOH to persuade the community to stay safe in their respective home. This also seeks to highlight and understand the persuasive techniques and tones to fully understand the underlying meaning of the text in order to build strong ties and relations between the health sectors and the community. The present study may be helpful for readers to understand the relationship between language and society in connection with coronavirus outbreak.

RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
This study sheds light for an enlightened understanding of persuasive strategies of instructions used by the MoH in Saudi Arabia. It is significant to all those who are concerned with the meaningful and quality education of learners, MoH and to the Saudi community. By doing so, learners, teachers and future researchers will hopefully cultivate their interest in learning further about the persuasive context used in different fields of linguistic endeavor. In addition, the results, methodology, and analysis of this study may serve and guide the future researchers to conduct, enhance, and develop their skills in conducting similar academic researches.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
In further understanding of the persuasive strategy, this study aims to analyze the text message-based exploration reported by the MoH of Saudi Arabia. This study specifically aims to:

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The focus of this study is to investigate and present an analysis of persuasive in instruction of the selected short service messages taken from MoH of Saudi Arabia. Hence, this further answers the following questions: 1. What are the short message services of MoH ealth of Saudi Arabia? 2. What are the classification of short service messages according to Aristotle's 3 rhetorical appeals? 3. What are the persuasive strategy used in each short service messages? 4. What are the persuasive technique and tone employ in each short service messages?

LITERATUREREVIEW
Ethos is a Greek word which means 'character'. This appeal is based on ethics and reputation. The ability to persuade is related to the credibility and sincerity of the person, and it is related to the audience's perceptions of how the speaker is trustworthy, competent and dynamic.
The persuasive appeal of pathos is an appeal to an audience's sense of identity and their emotions. An appeal to pathos causes an audience not just to respond emotionally, but to identify with the writer's point of view, and to feel what the writer feels. It may resort to audience imagination and hopes.
Said [5] indicates that Aristotle has referred to 'logos', as the logical appeal of the speaker. It is a presentation that convinces the listener if the conclusion given is the right one for the occasion. By using impressive 'logos', it shows to the audience that the speaker is knowledgeable and well-versed on the topic. Said [5] quotes "regards the appeals based on credibility, -its most important features are 'authoritativeness' and 'trustworthiness' Bradley [6] of the respective speaker. They refer to the competence, reputation and the capacity of the speaker to be believed Barry [7].
Murthy et al. [8] emphasize that Aristotle's theory of rhetoric's plays a great role in industrial communication. This art of language helps to improve the skill of speaking and writing of the personnel. It also influences a positive impact to the employee. They add "according to Aristotle, the art of using language effectively to persuade the audience that the ideas of the speaker are valid, is Rhetoric. Aristotle defines rhetoric as "the faculty of observing, in any given case, the available means of persuasion" (Rhetoric, Book 1, Chapter 2, 1355, lines [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. This paper sheds light on these three appeals of persuasion i.e. Logos (Logical appeal), Pathos (Emotions of the audience) & Ethos (Character of the speaker). It can be separated and combined in each statement to elicit a response from the audience of Saudi Community.
In the study of Denecke and Nejdl [9], medical concepts are analyzed by extracting them from the text material to compare and differentiate between informative and affective posts as they describe experiences as well as information.
Consequently, the blog posts are classified based on their information content that exploits features describing their medical and effective content. The information content and the knowledge on content differences can be utilized by search engines in order to improve ranking, search, and to direct users to proper sources of knowledge.
In Prentice et al. [10], asystematic analysis of the semantic content and persuasive design of online extremist media is undertaken. They propose that the arguments and issues presented in extremist media offer a deeper consideration into the authors' intent, which in turn may provide an evidence-base for discovering and assessing risk. The researchers notice the value of investigating the language of the extremist media using what is known as content and composition analysis (CCA).They examine the possibility by applying two quantitative text-analysis approaches of online extremist in Israeli military action in Gaza and the West Bank territories. The study suggests that this analysis of authors language use has the potential to make an important contribution to the understanding of extremist media use.
Krause et al. [11] compare the persuasive message factors on YouTube. A purposive sample is taken from an auto-generated YouTube channel. They identify the message position (for, against, or neutral), sources used, message frames, and message appeals. The study finds three frames to be used more frequently in the videos, in favor of the proposition, than in videos identified as neutral or against. This provides an insight into how the videos representing for, against, and neutral message positions utilized various sources, frames, and message appeals.
Tala'a [12] in his study carries out an analysis of the strategies of persuasion used in English religious sermons. He analyzes the types of speech acts and the stylistic devices used. The data show that the strategies of persuasion used are: logos, pathos, and ethos which are used separately or combined with each other. Moreover, an analyzed example may be as the strategy of logos, pathos, ethos, logos/pathos, pathos/ethos, or logos/pathos/ethos together, according to Aristotle [4] and Lucas [13]. According to Sandell [14], the most common form of stylistic device is repetition, which is most often used in persuasion techniques or strategies. In addition, some of the strategies of persuasion may not be accompanied by any of the delimited stylistic devices. Conducting such a study is hoped to be valuable to linguists, public readers, preachers, students, researchers, and any person who wants to deliver a persuasive speech.
Said [5] examines 'parallelism' as a linguistic device to see if it works collaboratively with speech acts and persuasive strategies to persuade the audience to accept a specific course of action in the language of business English. This study explores logos, pathos, ethos, and speech acts as a means of persuasion in business English. Patterns of syntactic parallelism of phrases and clauses are identified in the study as a means of persuasion in order to add conciseness in content. Also, repetition is used to clarify the speaker's communicative intention and all is in a bid to achieve the desired goal of persuasion.
In the study of Altikriti [2] selected political speeches of Obama as pieces of discourse based on the adopted model of Bach and Harnish Taxonomy [15] are examined. It is found out that President Obama in his speeches has frequently used sentences that performed constative speech acts than other speech acts where the assertive illocutionary acts are used as a persuasive factor. This result focuses on the important role of persuasive speech acts in political addressees and its impact on the audience's acts. In addition, the study provides an understanding of persuasion in political speeches through the use of persuasive speech acts and emphasizing that they are not used in an arbitrary way, but as a purposeful way of teaching political ideas.
In connection with the study of Grice [16], an exploration in the content of presidential speeches to school children is pointed out. In particular, the three presidential speeches include President Barack Obama's speech to children in 2009, George H.W. Bush's speech to children in 1991, and Ronald Reagan's speech to children in 1988. This study implements a content analysis to detect if persuasive strategies are used in the speeches or not, and also to investigate their application along with determining which ones are used. It further analyzes the direct and indirect influence on the audience by using various speech acts where, in some cases, more than one illocutionary act are found in one utterance. In addition, this study provides support for the importance of studying political socialization theory. This study suggests that presidential speeches to school children do at least have the capacity to influence both children and adults. It provides knowledge about the content of presidential speeches to school children, to better educate parents, teachers, and children about the nature of these messages.

Similarities and differences between the present study and those reviewed above:
This study is similar to and, at the same time, different from those reviewed above in some aspects. Such aspects are briefed in the following paragraphs.
In the study of Denecke and Nejdl [9], the medical concepts are extracted from the text material with the existing extraction technology. Based on these concepts, the content of the different knowledge resources is compared, while the latter focuses on the text instruction and advices from the Saudi MoH.
The findings of Prentice et al. [10] explore the value of examining the language of extremist media using content and composition analysis, while the latter focuses on textual content analysis and persuasive language and techniques on media via STC SMSs.
Krause et al. [11] point out the examination of the Persuasive Message Factors in Proposition of 37 Videos on YouTube, while the latter is based on selected STC SMSs by the MoH in Saudi Arabia.
The undertaking of Tala'a [12] involves an analysis of the strategies of persuasion used in English religious sermons, analyzing the types of speech acts used, and finally analyzing the stylistic devices used. On the other hand, the current study focuses on the outbreak of COVID 19. Tala'a and the current study are similar in the strategies of persuasion in terms of the use logos, pathos, and ethos. These strategies of persuasion can be used separately or combined with each other in analyzing the text.
In the study of Said [8], the researcher considers 'parallelism' as a linguistic device to see if it works collaboratively with speech acts and persuasive strategies as a means to convince the audience to accept a specific course of action in the language of business English while this study focuses mainly on the selected language and techniques. They are similar in the Aristotle Art of Rhetoric used in the form of logos, pathos, ethos, and speech acts as a means of persuasion to clarify the speaker's communicative intention and all in a bid to achieve the desired goal of persuasion.
Altikriti's [2] study examines and analyzes three selected political speeches of Obama as pieces of discourse based on the adopted model of Bach and Harnish Taxonomy [15]; whereas this study aims to provide an understanding of persuasion in political speeches through the use of persuasive speech acts emphasizing that they are not used in an arbitrary way. They are used as an effective way to achieve a specific political purpose, while the latter is about health and medical instruction matters found in the text provided by the HoM of Saudi Arabia. The focus is mainly on the persuasive language and techniques.
Moreover, Grice [16] points out the research exploration in the content of presidential communication to children. Grice research handles the three presidential speeches that have been intended for children. By the utilization of content analysis, this study seeks to find out whether persuasive strategies are employed in these analyzed messages, and if they are present or not, the current study stands as a textbased exploration. These studies are similar since they both use a qualitative content analysis.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This is a qualitative study anchored by content and textual analysis. The STC (short service) messages, in particular, are randomly selected as the content to be analyzed for persuasive strategies in text exploration used by Aristotle's 3 rhetorical appeals. Aristotle's three rhetorical proofs -ethos, logos, and pathos-has been employed as persuasive strategies in the selected short service messages from MoH.
To measure the use of persuasion in the texts, the current study uses content analysis approach to analyze a set of selected short service messages taken from the MoH in Saudi Arabia.
The purpose of the current study is concerned mainly with the content of these messages. Thus, the content analysis approach is deemed to be an appropriate research method to use in this case. Content analysis is conducted to identify the major persuasive strategies used to analyze the selected short service messages Meanwhile, textual analysis is used to describe, analyze and interpret the characteristics and features of a recorded or visual the data. The purpose of textual analysis is to describe the content, structure, and functions of the messages contained in texts. The important considerations in textual analysis include proper selection of the types of texts to be studied, acquiring appropriate texts, and determining which particular approach to employ in analyzing them.

THE DATA AND FRAMEWORK ANALYSIS
This study makes use of twenty-four randomly selected short service messages by MoH of Saudi Arabia. The short service messages are chosen base on the use and the style of language. The selected short service messages are carefully examined and analyzed employing the content and textual analysis in understanding the writing style and the message it conveys in terms of strategy, technique and tone. This study unfolds the underlying content of the short service messages by the text blast exploration of MoH.
Aristotle [4] presents various persuasion strategies that are still used today by various scholars and researchers. He mentions three strategies of persuasion. These strategies are: ethos (refers to the character of the speaker), logos (refers to the development of a logical argument), and pathos (refers to appealing to emotions). The same strategies mentioned by Aristotle are called methods by Lucas [13].

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE
The data of this study are short service messages taken from MoH of Saudi Arabia. In collecting the data, the researcher takes the following steps: first selecting and collecting short service messages taken from MoH; then, reading and understanding the selected short service messages; classifying the short service messages using Aristotle's appeal of rhetoric's; after which is identifying and analyzing the persuasive strategy, persuasive technique and tone used; next is giving marks in every part of the story which is related to the objectives of the study; and , establishing the connection of the inputs and lastly, make a tabular presentation of the data.
According to Baxter and Babbie [17], a text is defined as "any kind of communication message in which symbols are used". The communication messages may be mediated, non-mediated, private, public, scripted, or spontaneous. The symbols analyzed in the communication may be verbal or nonverbal. Researchers who are using content analysis look for indicators of issue or image, positivity or negativity, partisan appeals, emotional tone, and fear appeals, among many others [Kaid,18]. Baxter and Babbie [17] say that this method is also used when researchers "want to enumerate the details of communicative messages". Hacker [19] adds that the data in content analysis is tabulated and presented as "countable data in the form of words, images, phrases, speech acts, meaning units, sentences, or whatever other kind of unit of enumeration the researchers consider most important". Baxter and Babbie [17] illustrate that content analysis measures and reports the "frequencies with which certain message features are present" in a sample of texts, which they call it as distributional structural analysis.
According to Wimmer and Dominick [20], qualitative content analysis is "a method of studying and analyzing communication in a systematic, objective, and quantitative manner for the purpose of measuring variables". Krippendorff [21] indicates that using content analysis can provide new insights, increase understanding of a particular phenomenon, or practical actions.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This study tackles the persuasive strategies of instructions used by the MoH in Saudi Arabia in selected twenty-four short service messages.
The researcher creates a crosstab to illustrate the message/text and to further show how the selected statements are analyzed. This is divided into three sub-sections: the strategy of persuasion, persuasive technique and tone.
The first column indicates the date where the messages have been sent by the MoH. The second column shows the mode of persuasion strategy by Aristotle: the logos, ethos and pathos. The third column furthers emphasizes the persuasive technique, while the last one presents the tone of the messages. Table 1 shows the crosstab presentation of the STC SMS frame from Saudi Arabia MoH: the persuasive strategy, the persuasive technique and the tone used in the analysis.

PERSUASIVE STRATEGY
In the crosstab data shown, the Aristotle's three rhetorical proofs -ethos, logos, and pathoshave been widely employed as persuasive strategies in the selected short service messages from MoH. It is evident in the text-base exploration that MoH has used these strategies in order to persuade the community.
The first column identifies the date where the short service messages have been sent by the MoH from March 24 to April 28, 2020. Meanwhile, column two indicates for the short service messages from the corresponding date taken from MoH and, the third column determines the persuasive strategy of Aristotle. The data shows that ten of the twenty-four short service messages that are analyzed belong to ethos. This appeal is based on ethics and reputation. The ten selected appeal of ethos has the ability to persuade, is related to the credibility and sincerity of the person, and it is related to the audience's perceptions of how the speaker is trustworthy, competent and dynamic.
Ten of the twenty-four short service message texts belong to logos. These are the logical appeal of the speaker. They are the presentations that convince the listeners when the conclusion given is the right one for the occasion. By using impressive 'logos', they show to the audience that the MoH is knowledgeable and well-versed on the case.
Moreover, only four of the twenty-four texts that are studied, are found to be pathos. The four chosen persuasive appeal base on the short service messages appeal to an audience's sense of identity and their emotions. An appeal to pathos causes an audience not just to respond emotionally, but to identify with the writer's point of view, and to feel what the writer feels. It resorts to audience imagination and hopes. This reveals the intention to evoke to the community to work hand-in-hand for achieving the goals and also highlights ways to overcome any hurdles the country and the world are experiencing. This directly affirms, encourages and, hence, persuades the people to cooperate with the MoH to be responsible for every action they do. It is also analyzed that in every persuasive strategy, there are different techniques which are pointed, and affirm that multiple techniques may apply in one strategy.

PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUE
The third column presents the use of persuasive techniques in each short service messages. Persuasion technique is a powerful vehicle for significant change. Amidst the crisis of corona virus, people much prefer being persuaded both to believe and to do things than simply being told what to believe and what to do.
The following persuasive techniques are observed and analyzed.
Simple and Direct Language: It is a written or spoken language that communicates meaning as clearly and concisely in analyzing the context of the text. In the following example, Practice social distancing. Let's stand apart today so that we can -safely-stand together tomorrow.

#Corona_Prevention
The MoH encourages the public by directly instructing them to 'practice social distancing' and that they should take this action in the present time for its significant future effect, which is 'stand together tomorrow'. Using this simple and direct language helps in understanding the importance and the seriousness of the mentioned information and assists the readers to adopt a specific attitude and action that positively affect their lives.

Emergency
Information Language: Emergency communications may include alerts and warnings; directives about evacuation, curfews, and other self-protective actions; and information about response status, family members, available assistance, and other matters that impact response and recovery. The instance below Be careful! Unnecessary errands, moving around from one place to another, and mingling with others are major drives behind the spread of COVID-19. For your safety, stay at home.
illustrates the usage of emergency information language by the MoH by starting the SMS with the statement 'be careful!' in order to draw the readers' attention to what is written and its great importance. It then elaborates more on this warning by stating the main ways that could help prevent the spread of COVID-19 among people and directs them to stay at their homes for the sake of their health and lives. This technique grabs the readers' attention by highlighting and mentioning the important information in an intimidating way which increases the chances for the readers to follow the written instructions as most people care about their health and their beloved ones. This language also leads to conveying the significance of the warning, eliciting a sense of responsibility in people.
Personal Pronoun: Pronouns are extremely powerful short words that can add significant power to the persuasive language. Because of this power, it is easy to under-or over-use them. 'Too few and you will seem distant. Too many and you may seem aggressive or manipulative'. The next illustration Challenges we face together today will make us stronger tomorrow. #We_are_all_responsible for this great nation's security! shows the usage of the pronoun 'we' in 'we face together' and 'we are all responsible' along with the pronoun 'us' in 'will make us stronger'. Using these pronouns creates a sense of collectivity and strengthens the solidarity between the MoH and the public as they are all in this situation together. They should cooperate and face the challenges of coronavirus and they all have the responsibility for protecting society, thus leading to their strength and power in the future.
Alliteration: This is a repetition in words, phrases, or sounds to create emphasis. The following SMS Show solidarity by staying at home, practicing social distancing, and calling 937 if you have a cough, a fever, or difficulty in breathing. #Corona_Prevention is an example of using alliteration in which there is a repetition in words ending with '-ing' such as in 'staying', 'distancing', and 'breathing'. This persuasive technique captures the readers' attention and makes the SMS more likely to be remembered by them. It also helps the writer to stress something important that he/she would like to express which is in this case, emphasizing the steps that should be taken during the pandemic of COVID-19 in order to prevent its spread and to preserve one's health.
Social Proofs: It can be found in testimonials and outside referrals, and it is the driving force behind social media. By using social proof in the following illustration, Shield and protect those around you! As soon as you develop a fever or experience difficulty in breathing, self-quarantine and contact (MoH) on 973 readers are more likely to conform in order to be accepted by society as each individual is responsible for him/herself and the people around due to the rapid infection of coronavirus. This can spark specific emotional triggers that influence the readers' feelings towards their actions regarding Covid-19.
Inclusive Language: Inclusive language -using the words 'we' or 'us'-is often used to get a reader onboard. They establish harmony and common identity with the readers, and this can be seen in the example below The spread of the coronavirus can be stopped if we commit to preventive measures #We_are_all_responsible MoH as the MoH uses the pronoun 'we' in the conditional sentence 'if we commit' and in the hashtag 'we are all responsible' to make the readers feel that they are involved and have a great role in the process of fighting coronavirus. This technique gives the readers a sense of belongingness and increases their sense of responsibility as their actions might have an impact on the whole community.
Emotive Words: These are words that provoke an emotional reaction from the audience which helps to determine analyzing the text. The following SMS Practice social distancing. Let's stand apart today so that we can -safely-stand together tomorrow. #Corona_Prevention clearly shows the use of this technique as the MoH arouses the readers' emotions in order to convince them by making them think about the future and the people they love. This is done by mentioning some emotive words and phrases such as 'safely' and 'stand together' in which they make the readers remember the power of COVID-19 and its negative consequences. This raises the chances of accepting the offered advice by the MoH as all people want to be surrounded by their friends and families.
Expert Opinion: It is also called appeal to authority. Important people or experts who seem more convincing; using reliable research or data that can help your argument seem convincing. Appealing to authority is demonstrated in the next example As soon as you develop a fever or experience difficulty in breathing, self-quarantine and call -MOH (937) #coronovirusPrevention #MOH as the MoH advises the readers to call it whenever they have fever or difficulty in breathing. This shows that people should seek others' help, experts in particular, as they are reliable and authorized to tell them what they should do with complete trust, credibility, and persuasiveness.
Question Type: This draws the reader into a deeper understanding of an issue. Typically functions as a request for information that uses questions to identify its intended meaning. This is shown in the SMS below Do you have a cough, fever or difficulty in breathing?

Self-quarantine and call (MoH) on 937 #Corona_Prevention
where it begins with the question 'do you have a cough, fever, or difficulty breathing?' and it indicates the most common symptoms of COVID-19 that people should be aware of and pay attention to if they have occurred. Using questions as a persuasive technique engages the readers in a discursive manner and directs them to the actions they should do if they have confirmed this question.
Repetition: By repeating letters, words, and phrases or important information in the text. This reinforces a point of view that is made and stayed in an audience or readers' mind. The following instance Shield and protect those around you! As soon as you develop a fever or experience difficulty in breathing, self-quarantine and contact (MOH) on 973 illustrates the use of grammatical repetition by the MoH in which there are two combined imperative verbs in one phrase at the beginning and end of the SMS with a similar syntactic structure. To illustrate, the imperative verbs in 'shield and protect' and 'self-quarantine and contact' are all combined with the conjunction 'and' resulting in having the same grammatical structure. The technique of repetition helps the MoH to present the information in repeating patterns and schemes and emphasize them in order for the readers to believe them and develop the retention level of the information due to their importance.
Persuasive Tone: The fourth column employs the tone of the short service messages. This tone refers to the overall feeling of a piece of writing. In the data presented, the persuasive tone has a direct connection to the strategies used in the text. These are classify into: informative knowledgeable, well-read; purposeful, reasonable and passionate, emotional, emotive.
The ethos is for purposeful and reasonable tone, 10 of 24 texts tend to have this tone, while 9 of 24 texts are informative, knowledgeable and well-read. Lastly, passionate, emotional and emotive are also used -4 of 24 texts are found out in the analysis. #Hashtags: A hashtag is a label used in social media sites that make it easier to find information with a specific theme or content. Hashtags encourage social media users to explore content that catches their eye. However, the hashtags use in this analysis is not just purely for entertainment purposes, they are used to label the content of the corona virus outbreak. The following are commonly used hashtags in the text base exploration. #Corona_Prevention #We_are_all_responsible #CoronovirusPrevention#MOH

CONCLUSION
This research undertakes a content analysis of persuasive strategies, persuasive techniques and persuasive tone of text base exploration in selected short service messages. In doing so, the researcher has managed to identify the underlying interpretation of message content (as defined through influence tactics) with Aristotle approach of persuasive strategy to document the analysis of every text and statement.
The findings in this research support the idea that persuasive strategies are utilized, by the MoH in Saudi Arabia in their communication with the community, to identify those techniques and retain the information they are given specifically in the outbreak of corona virus. It shows that ten of the twenty-four SMS texts that are analyzed belong to ethos. Ten of the twenty-four SMS texts are logos and only four of the twenty-four texts that have been studied are pathos.
According to the analysis conducted, people in charge in the MoH use different strategies of persuasion in order to persuade the community which is the baseline of the study. When they persuade by the strategy of logos, they use reason and logic; when they persuade by the strategy of pathos, they evoke the feelings and emotions; and when they persuade by using the strategy of ethos, they express their personal experience, background and attitude.
In conclusion, it is found that the MoH has used a variety of the strategies of persuasion, techniques, and tone of voice. These strategies of persuasion are used separated or combined with each other. It is also concluded that the most recurrent type of persuasive strategy used in text exploration is that of ethos and logos while in persuasive technique; simple and direct language, emergency information language and personal pronoun are predominantly used in content analysis. In addition, purposeful and reasonable tones are highly emphasized in the text exploration.

CONSENT
It is not applicable.

ETHICAL APPROVAL
It is not applicable. The author, therefore, acknowledges with thanks DSR technical and financial support. She would also like to express her thanks to her MA student, Nada Abdulmajeed Lashkar, for the constructive comments and generosity of sharing learning resources as well as useful research tools.