Means of evaluation in environmental media discourse

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to describe and classify the linguistic means expressing evaluative meaning in the environmental media discourse. The objectives of the study include the identification of different means expressing evaluation in media texts devoted to environmental issues, identifying lexical items and stylistic devices for the formation of an evaluation strategy in modern media texts devoted to environmental issues, creating a typology of evaluative linguistic means in media environmental discourse. The method of component analysis of the lexical meaning of a word was used in the work, it enabled full understanding and characterization of lexical units with an evaluative component in their semantics. The method of content analysis of media texts made it possible to identify the pragmatic potential of axiological vocabulary used in Russian media texts dealing with environmental issues. The article considers the category of evaluation, which is universal for media discourse, and proposes a classification of linguistic means of expressing evaluative meaning in environmental media discourse. It is supposed to divide all linguistic means of expression of evaluative meaning into two main groups according to their positive or negative meaning. The authors carried out a detailed part-of-speech analysis of the lexical items of both groups, proposed their classification and analysed stylistic devices as a way of expressing a positive or negative connotation. The analysis showed that the most frequent among all the lexical items under consideration are adjectives with different meanings, which are widely used as a means of influence in the environmental media discourse and are capable of expressing ethical, aesthetic and rationalistic (utilitarian) assessment.