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In:Thinking Politically: Cognitive linguistic insights into political discourse
Edited by Anastasios Vogiatzis
[Figurative Thought and Language 22] 2027
► pp. 142–172

Chapter 7
Expressing attitudes through irony in public discourse

 | Vilnius University
 | Vilnius University
 | Vilnius University
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
The paper examines targets, markers, and evaluative function of irony in media texts focusing on the Belarusian crisis in 2021 instigated by an incident of a forced landing of a plane travelling from Athens to Vilnius in Minsk. The data has been collected from the news portals of the USA, Germany, Lithuania, and Russia in English, German, Lithuanian, and Russian, respectively. The methodology relies on a three-dimensional model (Burgers & Steen, 2017) whereby irony is investigated in language, thought, and communication. The latter involves the construction of attitudes, often through particular targets. The results suggest that in public discourse, irony is a means to articulate critique targeting specific people, nations, and institutions and thus challenging power relations. There is a marked difference between self-induced, insulting irony in the Russian media outlets and irony in the other three sub-corpora.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Understanding irony
    • 1.1Target in irony: Sarcasm
    • 1.2Functions and ways of expressing irony
  • 2.The scope of the present research
  • 3.Political situation surrounding the event in the spring of 2021
  • 4.Data and methods
  • 5.Results: Overall tendencies
    • 5.1The English dataset
    • 5.2The German dataset
    • 5.3The Lithuanian dataset
    • 5.4The Russian dataset
  • 6.General discussion and conclusion
  • Author queries
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Sources of examples
  • References
References (61)
Sources of examples
15min.lt_1. „Ryanair“ vadovas: lėktuvo nutupdymas Minske buvo „valstybės remiamas užgrobimas“. 15min.lt, May 24, 2021. [URL]
15min.lt_2. Vaidas Rusys. Neužgrimuoti Protasevičiaus riešai ir galia „perkurti“ žmogaus mąstymą. 15min.lt, June 6, 2021. [URL]
bild.de_1. Sören Haberlandt. Folter-Spuren beim TV-„Geständnis“. bild.de, June 4, 2021. [URL]
delfi.lt_1. Andrius Užkalnis. Karas prasidėjo, Lietuva teroristų pašonėje. Delfi, May 24, 2021. [URL]
focus.de_1. Thomas Jäger. Mit Flüchtlingen und seinem besten Freund. focus.de. November 8, 2021. [URL]
foxnews.com_1. Amy Kellog. On eve of WWII Victory Day, Belarus opposition says fascism is alive and well in their country. Foxnews, May 9, 2021. [URL]
lrt.lt_1. Justinas Žilinskas. Migrantai, Baltarusija ir mes. Lrt.lt, June 14, 2021. [URL]
nytimes.com_1. Andrew Higgins. Migrants in peril, and raw emotions, in a volatile European border standoff. New York Times, November 11, 2021. [URL]
nytimes.com_2. Anton Troianovski. Migrant crisis in Belarus tests Putin’s uneasy alliance with Lukashenko. [URL]
russian.rt.com_1. Анна Шафран. Обыкновенный фашизм. Russia Today, August 6, 2021. [URL]
russian.rt.com_2. Юлия Витязева. Перевести стрелки. Russia Today, May 26, 2021. [URL]
russian.rt.com_3. Юлия Витязева. Подарок для белорусов. Russia Today, December 28, 2021. [URL]
russian.rt.com_4. Юлия Витязева. Говорящий манекен. Russia Today, July 6, 2021. [URL]
washingtonpost.com_1. James McAuley. The Belarus plane hijacking doesn’t just make the E.U. less safe. It also makes it less European. Washington Post, May 25, 2021. [URL]
zeit.de_1. Johanna Roth. Nur Dialog hilft hier nicht mehr weiter. zeit.de, May 24, 2021. [URL]
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