The dissertation focuses on the study of the GLAMOUR concept and examines the structure of this concept as well as cognitive-pragmatic aspects of its realization in modern English mass media discourse. Following the tenets of cognitive linguistics, the lexeme glamour and its derivatives as means of the direct nomination of the GLAMOUR concept are assumed to reflect its components semantically. Thus, the dictionary definitions of the lexeme glamour and its derivatives have revealed that, historically, the GLAMOUR concept is made up of five layers. The first conceptual layer is rooted in the etymological meaning of the word glamour which most likely appeared as a result of blending and had the semes “shine” and “learning, knowledge in general” at the core of its structure. During the medieval period, the “knowledge” seme obtained the interpretation of “magic, enchantment” due to the association between knowledge and black magic, typical of that age. The other three consecutive layers of the GLAMOUR concept are connected, respectively, with the periods of 1900-1930s (when the idea of exotic places became prominent owing to the development of transport and the availability of air travel), the 1930s – the first years after the World War II (when Hollywood film industry boosted), and the 1950s (when glamour acquired associations with eroticism and pornography). The fifth layer of the GLAMOUR concept is constituted by its present-day interpretation. The structure of the modern layer is represented by the main lexico-semantic variant of the lexeme glamour and its derivatives. The dictionary definitions have revealed three components in the structure of the GLAMOUR concept: conceptual component, imagery component, and evaluative component. When the GLAMOUR concept is used in modern English mass media discourse, it is actualized on the background of the conceptual domains AESTHETIC and HEDONIC.
The conceptual component of the GLAMOUR concept is composed of eight macro-constituents: 1) “quality, its holders and reception”, 2) “emotional effect of the quality”, 3) “nature of the quality”, 4) “peculiarity of the quality (in comparison with other qualities)”, 5) “creation”, 6) “not genuine”, 7) “celebrity world”,
8) “sexuality”. Each of these macro-constituents includes a number of constituents. Drawing on discourse contexts where the GLAMOUR concept is used, it is possible to model relationships between the constituents within two frames: ACHIEVEMENT OF GLAMOUR and PURCHASE OF GLAMOUR. The former is associated with celebrities, while the latter is connected with ordinary people. The imagery component of the GLAMOUR concept is constituted by mental images of three types: images of material objects that correspond to the generalized concepts of CLOTHES, FOOTWEAR, JEWELRY, ACCESSORIES, HAIRSTYLE, MAKEUP; ideas of what glamour icons look like; and the images of glamour from past epochs. The evaluative component of the GLAMOUR concept is structured via the two opposite evaluations: “good”, “desirable” and “bad”, “undesirable”. The positive evaluation is supported in discourse by the concepts of LOVE and HAPPINESS, while the negative evaluation is highlighted on the background of the concepts of LIE and DECEPTION.
