CONSTRUCTING SOLIDARITY IN DISCOURSE: A PRAGMA-LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF SELECTED SPEECHES BY PRESIDENT ZELENSKY ADDRESSED TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

The article presents the findings of a pilot study of President Wolodymir Zelensky’s solidarity discourse. They illustrate the use of salient linguistic means and discursive strategies of solidarity building in the light of the Russian military attack on Ukraine in 2022. Based on discourse analysis and corpus linguistics, the study focuses on the linguistic patterns of constituting inclusivity through personal deixis. This is complemented by the mapping of an overarching discursive strategy of the construction of togetherness, namely proximization. Conducted from the perspective of the solidarity leader, the research identifies the above strategies as crucial to shaping political support by developing a community of shared values and experiences.