Chadiuk M. O. Discursive strategies of legitimation and delegitimation in news texts. — Dissertation, manuscript.
Dissertation for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the specialty 035 «Philology». — National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv, 2023.
The dissertation investigates discursive strategies and tactics of legitimation and delegitimation, their linguistic markers, ways of implementation in online news, and techniques used to strengthen and weaken their effect.
The research is based on a complex of approaches and draws on van Leeuwen's classification of (de)legitimation strategies. The analyzed data comprises groups of texts (from 12 to 20 news articles in each) about 120 highly discussed news during June 2020 — May 2021, published on the 20 most visited websites. Analysis of news articles enables us to classify (de)legitimation tactics into several models according to how they appeal to values: (a) "action — authority — values"; (b) "action1 — action2 — values"; (c) "action — characteristic — values"; and (d) "action — values". We also distinguish the fifth model, "action — natural order," which includes the naturalization strategy. Linguistic markers of tactics belonging to these models and ways of their implementation were identified and systematized.
The dissertation reveals that a sentence/clause containing (de)legitimation of an action can (a) (de)legitimate the action directly; (b) enable other (de)legitimation by characterizing the component of a clause or, rarely, the same sentence as (in)correct; and (c) weaken/strengthen other (de)legitimation, undermining/confirming the criticism or validity of a particular action.
Three strategies are used to weaken delegitimization: (1) representing the source of criticism as biased; (2) representing the accusations as unfair (by denying or discrediting them); and (3) changing the representation of those who are criticized and their actions (by using the "yes, but" figure, changing the interpretation of events, or downplaying the duration/harmfulness of the action).
Weakening of legitimation in the news is achieved by representing the source of information as biased (using evaluation and abstraction tactics) and changing the representation of the justified action. In the latter case, speakers use (a) depicting the action as wrong (using the tactics of definition and abstraction); (b) refuting legitimation basis (rhetorical questions, tactics of definition, abstraction, and evaluation); (c) presenting the legitimacy as dubious; and (d) using "yes, but" figure.
Methods used to strengthen (de)legitimation entail (a) giving several comments and author's clarifications that describe an action as (in)correct; (b) representing people who claim the (un)fairness of the action as trustworthy. In addition, to strengthen delegitimization, speakers modify the presentation of accusations with the help of implicature, providing evidence of accusations, additional details, exaggerating the consequences of a controversial action, and using tactics of definition and analogy. In order to strengthen legitimation, a speaker can portray an action as necessary, overstate its positive consequences, and mention the obstacles despite which it was implemented.
So, the novelty of the research is in (a) investigating means of (de)legitimation in the Ukrainian language; (b) identifying some techniques of (de)legitimation, e.g., historical analogy, (dis)approval by the subject authority, naturalization by purpose, abstraction, analogy, and a few ways of (de)legitimation, e.g., direct and indirect; (c) forming a classification of (de)legitimation tactics due to the ways of reference to values; and (d) characterizing the role of (de)legitimation tactics in weakening and strengthening criticism or the validity of the action in the news text.
The research results can be applied in courses on media linguistics, communicative linguistics, pragmatics, and critical discourse analysis, as well as manuals and media literacy programs.
Keywords: discourse, media discourse, news, linguistic pragmatics, discursive (communicative) strategies, discursive (communicative) tactics, linguistic influence (manipulation / suggestion), legitimation, context, narrative, semantics, language means (verbal indicators), marked vocabulary, adjective, pronoun.
