Proverbs’ transformations as one of the mechanisms of manipulation in mass media discourse

Abstract

The article deals with issues of transforming the structure of proverbs, which leads to changes in the semantics and pragmatics of proverbial expressions, altering their meaning and evaluation of situations in a way that exerts a manipulative influence on newspaper readers. The analysis of the meaning of transformed proverbs in context is conducted using J. Habermas’s theory of communicative action, which distinguishes between two types of communicative action: one oriented towards mutual understanding and subsequent joint activity (proper communicative action), and the other aimed at achieving individual goals without considering the listener’s interests (strategic or instrumental action). The transformation of proverbs often leads to changes in their semantics and pragmatics, allowing media authors to adjust the interpretation of situations in their favor, affecting readers’ perceptions. The study focuses on an analysis of English newspapers, where transformed proverbs are used to manipulate audience opinion. A cognitive-discursive model was employed to analyze the data, enabling the identification of specific manipulative uses of proverbs. The findings show that transformed proverbs can change the evaluation of events, highlight specific aspects of situations, and provoke the desired emotional response in the audience.