Recently, when various scientific fields come into contact, very promising disciplines have arisen. One of them is political linguistics . For Russia, this is a new direction. Consider its features.
General information
The emergence of such a new direction as political linguistics is due to the increasing interest of society in the mechanisms and conditions of political communications. This discipline appeared at the intersection of political science and linguistics. Moreover, it uses the tools and methods of social psychology, ethnology, sociology and other humanities.
Political linguistics is closely related to other areas of linguistics. Among them are functional stylistics, and sociolinguistics, modern and classical rhetoric, cognitive linguistics, etc.
Specific traits
Political linguistics as a scientific discipline is characterized by such signs as:
- Multidisciplinarity, i.e. the use of methodologies of different sciences.
- Anthropocentrism, in which language is studied through the study of personality.
- Expansionism, i.e., a tendency to expand the sphere of linguistics.
- Functionalism, i.e., the study of language in its direct application.
- Explanatory nature, which implies the desire of researchers not only to describe, but also to explain certain facts.
Subject of study
It is political communication. It is a speech activity aimed at promoting some ideas related to the emotional influence on the population to encourage them to commit political actions. Communication is focused on the development of public consent, the justification of public management decisions in the face of a multiplicity of opinions.
Any subject reading newspapers, listening to the radio, or watching TV is the target of such speech activity. Participation in elections is participation in the political life of the state. It takes place under the influence of the subjects of communication. Consequently, political linguistics must include not only the direct transmission of information, but also all phenomena associated with its perception, as well as an assessment of reality in the course of political communication.
Goals
A key objective of political communication is the struggle for power through the use of speech activity. It is designed to influence (indirect or direct) on the distribution of managerial powers and their use. This is achieved through elections, the formation of public opinion, appointment, etc.
The main goal of political linguistics is to study the diverse interactions between thinking, language, communication, subjects of speech activity, the political state of society. These relationships form the conditions for developing tactics and strategies for the struggle for power.
Political communication is able to influence the distribution of managerial functions and the exercise of authority due to the fact that it is used as a means of influencing the consciousness of people who make political decisions. They include citizens, officials, and deputies.
When did science form?
Political linguistics arose in antiquity. Roman and Greek thinkers actively studied political eloquence. However, after the emergence of feudal monarchies, which replaced the ancient democracies, research was interrupted for a long time.
Political communication is of interest to democratic societies. Accordingly, scientists again turned to the study of political communication after the change of state structure in North American and Western European countries.
Antique time
Even before the recognition of political linguistics as a separate direction in science, all publications on political communication were perceived as a kind of rhetorical or stylistic analysis.
Such publications were endowed mainly with praise or criticism. In the first case, readers were offered a “recipe” for achieving success in speeches or other oratory. In publications of the second variety, attention was mainly paid to a detailed description of all the advantages of the speech activity of a particular politician. In these works, unscrupulous tricks of the opponents, their tongue-tied language, speech negligence, and lack of education were "exposed".
First half of the 20th century
The starting point in the formation of foreign political linguistics of the XX century was the First World War. In the new conditions, the relevance of studying political speech activity and its relationship with social processes became increasingly apparent.
After the propaganda confrontation of several countries, knowledge about the tools and mechanisms for manipulating public opinion has acquired particular humanitarian and scientific value. In this regard, it is logical that after the war, language researchers began to focus on ways of creating public opinion, the effectiveness of military propaganda and political agitation.
The most significant works of that time should be considered the works of W. Lippmann, G. Lasswell, P. Lazarsfeld. The first, in particular, used content analysis to study public perceptions of the political situation in the world. In 1920, Lippman published a study of the texts of the newspaper The New York Times, dedicated to the events of 1917 in Russia. The author pointed out that the average American cannot form an objective opinion about events taking place in the world, since he is influenced by the anti-Bolshevik bias of the texts.
Lazarsfeld used content analysis to study the behavior of voters depending on campaign propaganda in the media. In particular, an experiment was conducted, the purpose of which was to establish the degree of effectiveness of political texts on citizens. Out of 600 people, just over 50 have changed their preferences for the presidential candidate. Even fewer respondents changed their choice under the direct influence of radio programs, newspapers and magazines. The results of the experiment made researchers doubt the position on the total impact of the media on the electorate.
Political Discourse in Linguistics
Lasswell used content analysis to learn the language of political science. Using this method, the scientist demonstrated the connection between the style of the language and the existing political regime.
According to the author, the discourse (speech activity) of Democratic politicians and the speech of voters with whom they interact are close to each other. At the same time, undemocratic movements strive for superiority and try to distance themselves from ordinary citizens. This inevitably manifests itself in the stylistic features of political communication.
60-80s XX century
At this stage, foreign researchers focused on the analysis of the communicative practice of Western democracies. Studies have shown that even in conditions of relative freedom, there is still a manipulation of the consciousness of citizens. However, it is expressed more sophisticatedly.
In the new political conditions, the methods of linguistic influence have changed. Nevertheless, politics always involves a struggle for power. The winner will be the one who owns the consciousness of the electorate.
For example, an experienced politician will not call for less help for the poor. He will call exclusively for tax cuts. However, it is known due to which benefits for the needy are traditionally formed. An experienced politician will call for the struggle for social justice, equalizing the position of the rich and the poor. However, not every voter will be able to understand that this appeal contains a proposal to raise taxes that not only millionaires will have to pay.
Studies of the practice and theory of argumentation, political vocabulary, metaphors, and symbols were especially widespread at that time. Scientists were particularly interested in issues related to the functioning of the language in the context of the election race, as part of the presidential and parliamentary debates.
The end of the XX-beginning of the XXI centuries.
The current stage of development of political linguistics is characterized by a number of features.
Firstly, there is a globalization of science. While in the early stages of research, they were conducted mainly in European or North American countries, in recent years publications on political communication have also appeared in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. After the end of the Cold War, Russian political linguistics also developed.
Recently, the vector of research has shifted to the problems of a multipolar world. The field of science is expanding due to the inclusion of new areas of interaction between language, society and power: the discourse of terrorism, a new order in the world, social tolerance, political correctness, etc.
Today, political linguistics is becoming more and more isolated, becoming an independent discipline. A variety of conferences are held on issues of communication, the interaction of society and the authorities, and scientific collections are published in huge numbers.