INSTRUMENTALIZATION OF EMOTIONS IN MANIPULATIVE PRACTICES OF POLITICAL DISCOURSE

The article explores emotions and their use as a means of linguistic manipulation in English-language communication. The authors examine the concept of emotions in linguistics, their connection to cognitive processes, and the role of emotionality, expressiveness, and evaluativity in shaping manipulative impact. Emphasis is placed on the fact that in media, political, and interpersonal communication, emotional manipulation is often applied consciously and systematically, employing a variety of linguistic and extralinguistic tools. The focus is on emotivity in language, understood as the speaker’s ability to verbally convey feelings, experiences, and attitudes. The article analyses stylistic and expressive devices in English-language discourse such as intonation, timbre, rhythm, affixation, alliteration, sound imagery, and lexemes with strong evaluative and emotional connotations. The authors describe various models of manipulative influence, ranging from overt psychological pressure to covert aggression, which is disguised as communicative tactics such as denial, selective inattention, rationalization, diversion, deceit, covert intimidation, evocation of guilt, shaming, victimhood, victim-blaming, the servant role, temptation, minimization, accusation, exposure, and criticism. The study draws on the works of both national and international scholars, including Chik L., Moshak D., Stavchuk N., Simon G. among others. The results of the analysis demonstrate a profound interrelation between emotions and cognitive processes, as well as the fact that emotional influence is a universal and recognizable phenomenon across languages. The aim of the study is to identify how emotions, when verbalized through linguistic means, contribute to manipulative influence in English-language discourse. The article seeks to raise readers’ awareness of hidden strategies of influence and the importance of critically perceiving emotionally charged information.