Political Media Discourse Research Articles

REPRESENTATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN TRAUMATIC HISTORIC EVENTS IN THE USA CULTURE TEXTS SPACE

Philologists and historians argue that it is typical of the modern society to change attitude to the past, which is manifested in criticism of the official versions of the history, restoration of the traces of the annihilated past, development of memorial events, opening access to archives and juridical settling scores with the past. The urgency of this phenomenon is attributed by the authors of the article, first of all, to the disappearance of living memory of the generations of witnesses of the most terrible crimes in the history of mankind, and to the processes of mediatization of memory and development of information technologies. The article deals with the methods of modeling of traumatic events related to Afro-American slavery and racial terror, in the US culture. The authors analyze examples of metonymic reconstruction and metaphorical coding of the past, symbolic imagery forms of translating memory to other generations, aimed at collective empathy and recognition of extreme violence. The study uses archival materials - photographs and postcards (Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America) with focus on content, syntagmatic and pragmatic characteristics of these pieces of evidence of mass terror. Special attention is given to the transformations of these images by artistic practices in modern visual art, as well as intermedia references to them in political media discourse, fiction, cinema, memorial places and urban space.

“Polycode” irony as a sign of modern media-political discourse

The purpose of this research is to conduct a comprehensive linguoculturological analysis of verbal and non-verbal means of expressing “polycode” irony in modern Russian political discursive practices. In the process of problem-solving research uses different methods and approaches of discourse analysis: a functional analysis of corpora of political texts of the Russian language; pragmatic analysis of speech acts and communicative; stylistic analysis revealing the specifics of genre specific political practices; the linguistic and cultural interpretation; the descriptive-logical methods of categorical mapping units and their subsequent economicaly. The article deals with the main functions and roles of “polycode” irony in political media space. In the study, the authors identify the key functions, high significance and abundance of “polycode” irony in media-political discourse. The article contains a linguistic analysis that has contributed to identifying main rhetorical devices most commonly used to create “polycode” irony.

Когнитивная функция метафоры во французском политическом дискурсе

The article deals with the cognitive role of political metaphor in the French media discourse on the example of interviews and video statements of French politicians (the current President of France E. Macron and the leader of the “Unconquered France” party J.-L. Melanchon). The aim of the research is to manifest the significance of such a cognitive linguistic tool as a metaphor, within the framework of the representation of a particular political ideology in French media discourse. The relevance of the work is due to the growing interest to the analysis of the phenomenon of political metaphor in the French media discourse as a cognitive unit that contributes to revealing the essence of political phenomena and analyzing the specificity of the structure and functions of political discourse in general. The article shows that linguistic units with metaphorical meaning contribute to the analysis of the semantics of the French political media discourse, as well as to the realization of a persuasive strategy and the manipulation of public consciousness to achieve certain political goals. It is emphasized that it is the cognitive function of metaphor as a visual and expressive medium of language that seems to be the most significant.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ НЕОЛОГІЗАЦІЇ АНГЛІЙСЬКОМОВНОГО МЕДІЙНОГО ПОЛІТИЧНОГО ДИСКУРСУ

The investigation provides a thorough analysis of neologisms in the political discourse, reveals the peculiarities of their creation and use on the basis of British newspaper articles and audio / video materials of TV news. The peculiarities of the language of media political discourse were revealed, the expediency of using neologisms in mass media texts, their structural and semantic models were substantiated.The efficiency of coining new words by affixation, word formation, conversion, telescopy is confirmed. It has been proved that political neologisms most often perform word-forming, nominative and emotive functions. The use of neologisms for the nomination of socially significant concepts of politics, power and global current problems are revealed. Lexical-semantic groups of political neologisms have been singled out, the most numerous of which are groups to denote people – participants of communication, political processes, parties and associations. The analysis of modern media text at the lexical level allowed us to trace the main trends in enlarging the vocabulary of the media, reveal the links of neologisms with thematic and genre-style peculiarities of texts in which words and phrases function in their new meanings. It has been proven that modern mass media have been enlarged significantly by neologisms with positive and negative connotations as well as derived words formed from borrowed bases to denote new realities, particularly in political discourse. It has been found out that new words have a greater semantic capacity compared to similar counterparts in the language, in addition, they play a special stylistic role in the text – pun. The analysis of statements of various politicians has made it possible to explore the features of political culture and consciousness of a particular social group. Among the lexical means of creating political neologisms, it is worth noting the use of numerous repetitions, appeals to the readers’ or viewers’ audience. Political neologisms have been studied according to the following criteria: belonging to a certain class (lexical, phraseological and semantic), sources of origin (The Guardian, The Times, audio / video materials CNN News, BBC News), method of creation (affixation, composition, conversion, reduction, telescope, abbreviation, acronym, borrowing), word-forming potential (productive, non-productive, author’s), connotation (positive, negative, neutral), frequency of use (absolute, relative), thematic sphere of use (power, politics, state, society, people, law, democracy, integration, global problems of today).

Two Images of Russia in the British Political Mass Media Discourse of 1991 – 1993 and 2013 – 2019: Pragmastylistic Aspect

The paper considers political mass media discourse as a persuasive dialogue in which a journalist makes his interlocutors accept a certain point of view. The desired mental reaction on the part of interlocutors can only be achieved through careful choice of ways of persuasion and especially linguistic means often influencing effectively the emotional sphere. The persuasion can be subject to ideological aims thus representing a definite object as positive or negative. The paper claims that such object as the image of state can have opposite assessment in different periods of time and focuses on linguistic means of persuasion aimed at the creation of two contrasting images of Russia in the British mass media discourse of 1991 – 1993 and 2013 – 2019.

Critical Analysis of the Political Media Discourse of “Haider Al-Abbadi” the Former Iraqi Prime Minister

Critical Analysis of the Political Media Discourse of “Haider Al-Abbadi” the Former Iraqi Prime Minister

РЕАЛИЗАЦИЯ ЦЕННОСТНОЙ КАТЕГОРИИ “FREIHEIT” НА ПРИМЕРЕ ПРЕЦЕДЕНТНЫХ ВЫСКАЗЫВАНИЙ В ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОМ МЕДИАДИСКУРСЕ ГЕРМАНИИ

The category of freedom (German “Freiheit”) is one of the fundamental values of the German political culture, which is reflected in the language. Within the framework of the political media discourse, the presented value category is actualized with the help of precedent statements - an important intertextual means of the media discourse with a high functional potential, the correct interpretation of which requires a researcher to know the language and linguistic realias. The study of precedent statements has an interdisciplinary character; it combines the study of factors of both linguistic and extralinguistic nature.

The role of the precedent phenomenon in creating a language game in the headlines of political media discourse

Abstract The precedent phenomenon is estimated as a productive source for creating the language game in the headlines of political media discourse. Headlines based on a language game draw the attention of the reader more quickly. There are often used precedent phenomena, understood as culturally loaded signs, known to a major part of the representatives of the same national community. That is a precedent phenomenon that may serve multiple purposes. We have focused on its effect applied in the headings. The coincidence of the background knowledge of the author and the reader contributes to the hidden influence on the images of politicians formed in the mind of the reader.

Cognitive Script of Verbalization of Concept "Threat" in Media Discourse (as Exemplified in D. Trump's Statements)

The paper presents such basic units of cognitive linguistics as frame, script, and concept from the perspective of theories and concepts introduced by leading scientists. It introduces some results of the construction of the nominative field of the concept "threat". The research featured the concept "threat" in the political mass media discourse as a universal means of speech influence. The lexical units under analysis belonged both to the core and periphery of the nominative field of the concept. The authors defined the most frequent scripts of the concept "threat", both general and particular, e. g. direct threat, indirect threat, explicit threat, and implicit threat. Their structural characteristics were based on the examples from D. Trump’s statements. The most characteristic attributes of the concept "threat" proved to be verbs of destructive semantics, nuclear lexemes of the concept field, etc. This article reflects the features of the verbal representation of the concept "threat", as well as the purposes of the speech act of threat as a universal leverage in the modern political communication.

Intertextuality as a Genre-Defining Feature of English-Language Political Media Discourse

Inter-textual cultural competence has long been considered to be of utmost importance to interpreters and translators. Within the post-structuralist framework, every text contains references, implicit or explicit, to other texts. These references are known as inter-textual elements or vertical context elements. The accuracy of translation/interpretation rests entirely on the interpreter’s / translator’s ability to identify the inter-textual element and its function. Thus, a study of intertextuality is of high practical value. The present paper looks into the sources and functions of inter-textual elements found in contemporary English-language political media discourse. The analysis is based on full-text versions of the Economist issues (2017-2018). The infra-context studies and the vertical context theory serve as the theoretical foundations of the research. Methodologically, the paper is a result of critical discourse and content analysis. The results of the research demonstrate that as much as 40-50% of headlines, leads, and captions in a given issue of The Economist are inter-textual. The common sources of intertextuality, our analysis shows, are the Bible, Shakespeare, the US Declaration of Independence, the UN Charter, cultural stereotypes, movies, popular songs, advertisement, and commercial slogans. In conclusion, it can be said that the research has demonstrated a high degree of intertextuality of English-language political media discourse, which allows us to claim that intertextuality defines it as a genre.

МЕТАФОРИЧЕСКАЯ РЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦИЯ КОНЦЕПТА SOFT POWER В СОВРЕМЕННОМ АНГЛИЙСКОМ ЯЗЫКЕ

The article is devoted to the analysis of one of the concepts of new forms of political communication - SOFT POWER concept, introduced by Joseph Nye and representing a political metaphor. The authors analyze the history of the emergence and encyclopedic information about this concept. In the focus of our attention are the mechanisms of metaphorical representation of SOFT POWER concept. The most productive means of its objectification in the political media discourse is the subject metaphorical model. High frequency of the conceptual metaphor SOFT POWER → RESOURCE proves the “resource” understanding of “soft power”.

Political Labels in Modern Russian Political Media Discourse

Political Labels in Modern Russian Political Media Discourse

ОСОБЕННОСТИ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ТАКТИКИ ОБВИНЕНИЯ В СОВЕТСКОМ ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОМ МЕДИАДИСКУРСЕ

The article examines the peculiarities of the accusation tactics realization in the Soviet political media discourse. The author focuses on analysing domestic linguists’ views on the “accusation tactics” concept and considers five semantic variants of accusation arrangement among which prevalence belongs to the model “subject performs negative action” where negative action can be interpreted in an extremely broad sense. The semantic model “subject’s actions lead to a negative result” is not found in the analysed material that indicates higher categoricity of the Soviet media discourse.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ КОНСТРУЮВАННЯ ЗМІСТУ ПОЛІТИЧНОГО МЕДІАДИСКУРСУ (на прикладі англомовних політичних медіатекстів)

Introduction. This article explains the peculiarities of the content constructing of the political media discourse of the Russian Internet resource sputniknews.com for September 2016, represented by English-language political media texts about events in Ukraine. Purpose . The purpose of the article is to disclose peculiarities of the content constructing of the political media discourse in question via the analysis of the cognitive plane of its objectification. Results . The article holds that the political media discourse is a complex phenomenon that has three planes of its objectification: cognitive, pragmatic, and communicative (linguistic). The analysis of its cognitive plane accomplished as the analysis of the content of its political media texts enables to disclose peculiarities of their content constructing. The article proves that this constructing is typically based on a purposeful manipulation of information on behalf of the message author (sender). It is done in different ways and by various means – by faking facts, by their partial distortion, by a shift within the concept semantic field, by the concept simplification, and by stereotyping. The very form of facts presentation also contributes to information distortion – it can be statement, repetition, fragmentation, breaking news, sensation, and non-alternativity (of information source or of view point). Such а content constructing, typical of the analyzed political media texts, enables the message author (sender) to present concrete facts, political events and the very social reality in the right light, suggesting or imposing on the message recipient a certain (necessary) understanding of what is perceived. Originality . Originality of this article is provided by a complex approach to the analysis of the political media discourse. The article contributes to the discourse analysis, in particular to the studies of its cognitive and linguistic-cognitive characteristics. The perspective of the problem under discussion can be seen in the analysis of interrelated pragmatic and communicative (linguistic) planes of the political media discourse objectification. Conclusion. Thus, according to the obtained data, the content constructing of English-language political media texts about events in Ukraine, which represent the political media discourse of the Russian Internet resource sputniknews.com for September 2016, is typically based on manipulation of information. Accomplished by the message author (sender) in different ways and by various means, manipulation of information results in various interpretations of concrete facts, political events and social reality with the purpose to suggest or impose on the message recipient a certain (necessary) understanding, which is, in fact, a manipulative impact on public consciousness.

Мова як засіб маніпулятивного впливу (на прикладі англомовного політичного медіадискурсу)

Introduction. This article exposes manipulative impact of the political media discourse of the Russian Internet resource sputniknews.com for September 2016, represented by English-language political media texts about events in Ukraine. Purpose . The purpose of the article is to disclose the role of language in exerting a manipulative impact in the frame of the political media discourse in question . Results . The article holds that immanent chacarteristics of language and its units, in particular lexical and syntactic, make it possible to covertly (manipulatively) affect public consciousness, shaping or changing it . It also shows that the language of the political media discourse differes from the ordinary, every-day language in the way information is presented, i.e. facts and events are named and assessed. Thus, a purposeful use of nominative, axiological, and rhetorical linguistic means makes it possible to covertly insert in people’s mind certain ideas, values, and beliefs, which is a manipulative impact on the public consciousness. Originality . Originality of this article is provided by a complex approach to the analysis of the political media discourse. The article contributes to the discourse analysis, in particular to the studies of its communicative, pragmatic and linguistic-pragmatic characteristics. The perspective of the problem under discussion can be seen in the analysis of the role of quazi-linguistic and extra-linguistic means that, by accompanying linguistic means, are used to exert a manipulative impact on public consciousness . Conclusion . Thus, according to the obtained data, English-language political media texts about events in Ukraine that represent the political media discourse of the Russian Internet resource sputniknews.com for September 2016 typically exert a manipulative impact on public consciousness. It is done by a purposeful use of linguistic means that provide various interpretations of concrete facts, political events, and social reality with the aim to orchestrate their understanding and evaluation.

Invective language in political media discourse: English-language and Russian-language emotional manifestations of politicians

Invective language in political media discourse: English-language and Russian-language emotional manifestations of politicians

Маніпулятивні технології політичного медіадискурсу (на прикладі англомовних політичних медіатекстів)

This article exposes manipulative technologies of the political media discourse of the Russian Internet resource sputniknews.com for September 2016, represented by English-language political media texts about events in Ukraine. Within the framework of the political media text, its producer implements manipulative technologies via two opposed in content communicative strategies – positive self-presentation and positioning of an ideological opponent, embodied in a number of communicative tactics. The covert (manipulative) distortion of reality exercised by the text producer makes it possible to exert a manipulative impact on the public consciousness with the aim to form or change the outlook.

Metaphor in Political Media Discourse: Mental Political Leader Portrait

In the article, we realize the aim of the study. We identify the role of metaphor in the political media discourse as an important part of the mental political portrait. The paper deals with the analysis of Chancellor’s metaphoric image structured by the expansion onto the source domain of professional activity, based on simple and compound models and their varieties. The complex methods of cognitive and pragmatic analysis of the mental political leader portrait are used. The article describes the pragmatic power of professional metaphoric models defined by the constant conceptual vectors of ruin and destruction and conceptual vector of protectionism. The ways of analysis are useful for development of communication theory, cognitive linguistics, socio- and psycholinguistics, linguapragmatics, cultural, media, and virtual linguistics. In the article, we establish that the political portrait of the German leader is formed by metaphorical expansions onto various areas of professional activity: law, pedagogics, theatre, circus, fine arts, building, transport (railway), medicine, service, law enforcement, music, hunting. On the material taken simple and composite (double-projected) metaphoric models have been identified. The complex metaphoric unity defines the genre peculiarities and the stylistics. The pragmatic power of professional metaphoric models is defined by constant conceptual vector of ruin and destruction .

<b>The formation of the image of Russia in the British political mass media discourse

Politics of force today is inseparably connected with politics of images. This paper focuses on the representation of the image of Russia in the British political mass media discourse of 2013-2017. Taking into account K. Boulding’s definition of the image of state as a special concept, the paper claims that this concept includes the notion or nuclear, verbalized with the lexeme ‘Russia’ and its substitutes, and different associations, connected with this notion and thus forming: metaphorical, evaluative and ethnocultural associative layers of the concept. Drawing on the scientific works on problems of mass media discourse, image-formation, associations, structure and verbalization of concepts and using the methods of contextual, critical discourse, seme and conceptual metaphor analysis, the paper reveals the range of means for surfacing the nucleus and layers of the concept ‘Russia, used by British journalists. These means demonstrate ideological values of the discourse in question and stereotypes, which it forms in the minds of British people. The paper suggests that the scheme of analysis of the image of state in the political mass media discourse, offered in it, can be applied to the investigation of images of other states as well as to comparative studies.

Постсоветское пограничье России между Востоком и Западом (анализ политического дискурса). Часть II. Глядя на Восток

The article is devoted to the study of evolution of public perceptions of new Russia’s borders through the analysis of their representation in Russian printed media. “Nezavisimaya Gazeta” was chosen as a focus newspaper. The study is based on a database of publications collected through screening of this edition in four periods: 1994-1995, 2000-2003, 2008-2012 and 2013-2014. The newspapers “Sovetskaya Rossiya”, “Zavtra” and “Novaya Gazeta” were used as the sources of additional information. The authors discovered that modernized East-West dilemma serves as a framework of these representations. Russia faces a fundamental choice between two vectors. The Western (European) vector means the rapprochement with the EU and NATO, adoption of their values and development models. The Eastern (Eurasian) one implies total or partial reintegration of post-Soviet space and creation of new autonomous center of power within upcoming multi-polar world. Debates about the future of newly formed borders and the whole post-Soviet space, about building relations with former union republics on the one hand and the EU and NATO on the other, about aims and composition of regional integration projects etc. has invariably focused on the analysis of this dilemma. Since the 1990s there have been changes not only with the balance between two vectors within the media political discourse (non-contradicted in early 1990s they turned in the middle of 2010s into opposite sides of a dichotomy while the eastern vector appeared to be a dominant one) but also with their proper understanding. This article concerns with the Eastern part of two-faced discourse that reflects the transformation of Eurasian integration from the process of mutual attraction of Russia and other post-Soviet republics after a long period of coexistence as parts of a single state to one of the basic forms of global war between East-Russian and collective West. The issue of identity, state building and “battles of memories” which influence the perception of post-Soviet borders are considered in the same context. The final section assesses the possibility of usage of semantical approach to the analysis of meanings (words and senses) forming political language.