We present the results of a corpus-based study of perception of Russia in the American discourse in the period of 1991-2021. The intrinsic cognitive processes are attributed to the shift in the lexical profiles, which have been elaborated using two corpora (News on the Web (NOW) and Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA)). The period under analysis was divided into the subsets that cover identifiable historical periods before 2017. The years 2017-2021 were analysed separately by sectioning the corpora in order to study the fine structure of the temporal dynamics. The lexical profiles were elaborated using frequency data for the first left collocate in the pattern adjective+Russia. It is the most straightforward estimator of the hidden emotional state in the American discourse which, in turn, is driven by the cognitive processes stimulated by the external factors. The collocates are divided into four groups: neutral, historical, positive, and negative. The positive perception was stable in 1991-2020 and dramatically changed from January till April 2021. The negative perception was absent in 1991-2014 and in 2019. The negative emotional attitude raised since 2014 with an extreme growth in 2021. The nonstationary nature of the perception of Russia in the American discourse is proved by the statistical analysis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.