For citation:
Balashova L. V. “Diplomatic” and “undiplomatic” in the genres of diplomatic discourse: based on metaphors of Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov used during press conferences and interviews on the special military operation in Ukraine. Speech Genres, 2022, vol. 17, iss. 4 (36), pp. 272-284. DOI: 10.18500/2311-0740-2022-17-4-36-272-284, EDN: HFBMYH
“Diplomatic” and “undiplomatic” in the genres of diplomatic discourse: based on metaphors of Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov used during press conferences and interviews on the special military operation in Ukraine
The article presents the analysis of metaphors which go beyond the “diplomatic” speech used by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov in the genres of interviews and press conferences after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. The relevance of the topic is determined by the fact that it is such transfers which accurately and vividly reflect the specific nature of Russia’s relations with the world community, primarily with the collective West, during this period. The aim of the work is to identify the linguocognitive and functional aspects of metaphorical transfers used by S. V. Lavrov in the texts under study. The research is based on 25 transcripts published from 24.02.22 to 16.06.22 on the official website mid.ru/ru/press_service/minister_speeches, press conferences (speeches and answers to questions) and interviews with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov. Basing on the complex methodology of semantic, discursive and linguocognitive analysis, the author proves that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, along with institutional transfers, actively uses metaphors which border on or go beyond the ”diplomatic”. With their help, S. V. Lavrov focuses on the negative assessment (official and personal – from ironic to angry) of the aggressive and provocative nature of such policy. This semantic and pragmatic dominant is reflected in the system of conceptual metaphors, where ”undiplomatic” transfers can be concentrated in one of the sections of the general linguistic cognitive matrix, occupy a dominant position in the implementation of the model, and also become a cognitive core involving transfers from different language models into its orbit.
- Arutyunova N. D. Jazyk i mir cheloveka [Language and the world of the human]. Moscow, Yazyki slavyanskoi kul’tury Publ., 1998. 896 p. (in Russian).
- Balashova L. V. Dynamic concept of metaphor: from Aristotle to modern cognitive linguistics. Bulletin of Omsk University, 2015, no. 2 (76), pp. 166–169 (in Russian).
- Balashova L. V. Russkaya metafora: proshloye, nastoyashcheye, budushcheye [Russian Metaphor: Past, Present, Future]. Moscow, Yazyki slavyanskoy kul’tury Publ., 2014. 496 p. (Studia Philologica).
- Balashova L. V. Russkaya metaforicheskaya sistema v razvitii: XI–XXI vv. [Russian metaphorical system in development: XI–XXI centuries]. Moscow, Yazyki slavyanskoy kul’tury Publ., 2014. 632 p. (Studia Philologica) (in Russian).
- Baranov A. N. Deskriptornaya teoriya metafory [Descriptor theory of metaphor]. Moscow, Yazyki slavyanskoi kul’tury Publ., 2014. 632 p. (Studia Philologica) (in Russian).
- Belyakov M. V., Maksimenko O. I. Communicative and emotive characteristics of a diplomat’s idiolect. Bulletin of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. Series: Theory of language. Semiotics. Semantics, 2020, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 368–383 (in Russian).
- D’Acquisto G. A Linguistic Analysis of Diplomatic Discourse: UN Resolutions on the Question of Palestine. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017. 140 p.
- Golovanova D. A. Interdiscursiveness of diplomatic discourse. Proceedings of the Volgograd State Pedagogical University, 2014, no. 7 (92), pp. 25–30 (in Russian).
- Hamilton K., Langhorne R. The Practice of Diplomacy. Its Evolution, Theory and Administration. Second edition. London, New York, Routledge, 2010. 328 p.
- Kozheteva A. S. Linguistic and pragmatic characteristics of diplomatic discourse (based on verbal notes). Thesis Diss. Cand. Sci. (Philol.). Moscow, 2012. 23 p. (in Russian).
- Lakoff J., Johnson M. The metaphors we live by. In: Teoriya metafory [Theory of Metaphor]. Moscow, Progress Publ., 1990, pp. 387–415 (in Russian).
- Metelitsa E. V. The discourse of diplomatic protocol in English-language ritual communication. Thesis Diss. Cand. Sci. (Philol.). Volgograd, 2003. 20 p. (in Russian).
- Teliya V. N. Metaphorization and its role in creating a linguistic picture of the world. In: Rol’ chelovecheskogo faktora v yazyke: Yazyk i kartina mira [The role of the human factor in language: Language and picture of the world]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1988, pp. 173–204 (in Russian).
- Terenty L. M. Diplomatic discourse as a special form of political communication. Questions of Cognitive Linguistics, 2010, no. 1 (022), pp. 47–56 (in Russian).
- Terenty L. M. Diplomatic discourse as a special form of scientific communication. Questions of Psycholinguistics, 2015, no. 2 (24), pp. 166–185 (in Russian).
- Volkova T. A. Diplomatic discourse in the aspect of the strategic nature of translation and communication (on the material of English and Russian languages). Thesis Diss. Cand. Sci. (Philol.). Tyumen, 2007. 24 p. (in Russian).
- Yapparova V. N. Diplomatic discourse as an object of interdisciplinary research. Philology and Culture, 2016, no. 2 (44), pp. 165–170 (in Russian).