UKRAINIAN WAR DISCOURSE BEFORE AND AFTER THE FULL-SCALE INVASION OF RUSSIA

Abstract

The notion of discourse is rather controversial. However, under discourse term we mean any oral or written text on a definite topic. It can also be treated as verbal or non-verbal interchange of ideas or emotions aimed at achieving successful outcome. The concept of discourse is ambiguous; however, in the broadest sense of the word, this notion is a complex unity of linguistic approaches and extralinguistic factors necessary for understanding the text. It is claimed that discourse study occured at the intersection of such fields as linguistics, logics, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. The communicative act is the main factor in discourse analysis. Discourse is the product of verbalization that should inform the recipients about the emotions, ideas, and beliefs of the speakers, approaches and extralinguistic factors necessary for understanding the text. It is clear that war texts and speeches are a very specific type of discourse filled with non-controversial expressions, loud slogans, allusion, and even obscene vocabulary. War has never been about peace and calmness, especially on its first stages. War has always been about pain, death, crying, loosing, misunderstanding, miscommunicating, damaging, ruining, and killing. The global process can and usually does influence the way people think, behave, and even talk. Linguistic means usage reflect our state of mind, feelings, and even the type of people we are. This study is a socio-linguistic analysis of the Ukrainian war discourse, produced by the Ukrainians and some Ukrainian politicians, in order to support, inspire, encourage and build resilience before and during the full-scale invasion of russia. Comparison of the data before and after the year of 2022 enrich the research with valuable information on the way Ukrainian identity has been reshaped under the influence of collective trauma.