LINGUISTIC MEANS OF SPEECH MANIPULATION IN MODERN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE FOREIGN POLICY MEDIA DISCOURSE: SYNERGISTIC APPROACH

Abstract

The modern realities confronting the world are a reflection of human activity – engine of progress and development. Any system, be it linguistic, political, or otherwise, functions as a mechanism designed to achieve specific goals or to support existing circumstances. Language, in particular, is a crucial component of the political system, as throughout history and across all nations, politicians have pursued their objectives through the utilization of this universal tool. The political system is a complex mechanism in which language plays a significant role. The focal point of the article is the elucidation of linguistic means employed in the expression of speech manipulation within the modern English-language foreign policy media discourse. This analysis is conducted with reference to the three-level model of information and communication influence, encompassing micro-, meso-, and macro-levels. It has been substantiated that linguistic devices such as euphemisms present in political speeches not only impart emotional nuances to the text but also exert a significant manipulative influence on the audience of listeners and readers. It has been elucidated those linguistic strategies such as hedging and the grammatical category of modality (in our case – the conditional mood) are actively employed by political leaders, serving as tools for the accomplishment of their own intentions. Additionally, the communication hierarchy of the political agenda is addressed, which is shaped by politicians to achieve their set objectives. Furthermore, certain aspects of implementing such a political strategy have been delineated. The research findings attest that comprehending the mechanisms of linguistic manipulation contributes not only to a critical understanding of information but also to the development of media literacy. We envision the perspective for further scholarly investigations in the elaboration of a methodological framework for analyzing modern English-language foreign policy media discourse based on the principles of linguistic synergy as an interdisciplinary (and more broadly, transdisciplinary) direction within the field of philological scientific inquiry.