MANIPULATIVE POTENTIAL OF EUPHEMISMS IN CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

The aim of the study is to analyze euphemistic vocabulary in contemporary English-language political discourse, with particular focus on identifying its pragmatic potential as a tool for manipulating public consciousness. A lexicosemantic and linguopragmatic approach is employed to examine euphemistic practices based on publications from English-language online magazines. The study draws on widely accepted linguistic methods, including stylistic analysis of discourse fragments, a descriptive method for interpreting euphemisms, a contextual method for examining their linguistic characteristics, as well as functional analysis and generalization to summarize the findings. The research explores various ways in which euphemisms are used in political discourse to mask or deliberately distort real facts and events. It is demonstrated that such lexical substitutions enable political actors to shift the focus of information perception, minimize negative connotations of undesirable phenomena, and simultaneously construct favorable image strategies. As a result, euphemistic practices function as an effective instrument for manipulating public opinion and influencing the evaluative judgments of the audience. The study also analyzes the main mechanisms of euphemism formation in contemporary political discourse, which in a broad sense include analogy, modification, and borrowing. In a narrower sense, these processes are realized through metaphorization, metonymy, periphrasis, lexical borrowing, as well as the use of abbreviations and acronyms, which help to veil semantically sensitive concepts. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between euphemisms and dysphemisms as opposing yet functionally complementary phenomena in political communication. Their role in political struggle is emphasized, where deliberate lexical choices may either contribute to reducing communicative tension and achieving consensus or lead to the escalation of confrontation and the intensification of ideological conflict.