Bloomsbury Academic Language of Conflict: Discourses of the Ukrainian Crisis

Exploring the ways in which language and conflict are intertwined and interrelated, this book examines the changes that have taken place in the public discourse of the Ukraine and Russia since 2014 and the beginning of the 'Ukrainian Crisis. Through analysis of the narratives constructed by different social groups in Ukraine, Language of Conflict shows how discourse can illuminate the competing worldviews and the conflicting positions of the various stakeholders in this conflict. Through critical discourse analysis and multimodality, this book explores the prevalent narratives and the linguistic features of the salient discourses surrounding this conflict. Using Russian- and Ukrainian-language texts from traditional and social media, contributors from Ukraine, Russia and beyond investigate discourses surrounding the most important topics of the crisis: its causes and goals, the sides, and the values and ideologies of the opposing parties. Highlighting the ways in which the stress produced by social discord, economic hardship and violence, is reflected in verbal aggression, slurs, insults and profane language of extraordinary linguistic creativity, Language of Conflict provides insight into the ways people think about, respond to and experience the reality of conflict in their everyday communication. Review "This book offers a powerful examination of the current state of affairs in Ukraine, helping us to understand the relationship between language and society in a time of crisis. In this in-depth exploration, authors demonstrate modern approaches through focusing on different kinds of manipulations with truth and public opinion. This book reveals the divergent views and different levels of society as a step to better understanding Ukraine." --Olga Brusylovska, Professor of International Relations, Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University, Ukraine"This is an essential read for those interested in discourse and communication of the Ukrainian crisis. The chapters in Knoblock's collection analyse the various dimensions of verbal aggression in the time of a key conflict in Eastern Europe on the basis of a wide variety of sources and in different languages. As a whole, Language of Conflict: Discourses of the Ukrainian Crisis transcends its specific geographic focus by providing a nuanced, state-of-the-art perspective on the still under-explored field of conflict in discourse, as well as discourse of conflict." --Massimiliano Demata, Associate Professor of English Linguistics, University of Turin, Italy About the Author Natalia Knoblock isAssistant Professor of English at Saginaw Valley State University, USA.