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Philology: scientific researches
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Vlasova, V.V. (2025). Discursive formation of the national identity of Great Britain: syntactic aspect. Philology: scientific researches, 3, 222–233. . https://doi.org/10.7256/2454-0749.2025.3.73825
Discursive formation of the national identity of Great Britain: syntactic aspect
DOI: 10.7256/2454-0749.2025.3.73825EDN: ZUIJJPReceived: 24-03-2025Published: 03-04-2025Abstract: British national identity has been under constant study by scientists for a long period of time, but after Brexit, interest in this topic has increased significantly. The British nation, especially the part of it that was on the side of the Eurosceptics, after Brexit was aimed at strengthening the British identity and completely destroying any influence of globalization on the inner worldview of the British nation. But despite the expectation of the British, many scientists agree that the national British identity is still in crisis. Thus, the object of this research is the syntactic tools of the English-language political discourse of online mass media, and the purpose is to identify the current state of British national identity through the analysis of syntactic tools of political discourse in modern Britain. Current works (most are under five years old) of Russian and foreign scientists in the field of political discourse and national, including British, identity form the methodological basis of the research. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time the state of national British identity is considered by analyzing the syntactic tools of discourse of current publications of British online publications. The analysis of syntactic tools of English-language political discourse is carried out on the basis of online media texts for the period January – February 2025, which makes the study innovative and reflects the trends of modern linguistic science. As a result of the conducted research, it was found that the British national identity is expressed most often by such syntactic tools as the subjunctive mood, passive constructions and the use of modal verbs. The research perspective is to study intertextuality and interdiscursivity as a way of constructing the discursive expression of British national identity, as well as the pragmatic aspect of the discursive formation of national British identity. Keywords: discourse, national identity, English language, British national identity, online-magazine, syntactic tools, political discourse, syntax, Brexit, mediaThis article is automatically translated.
Speaking about modern research on national British identity, it should be noted that this kind of research is typical for different fields of humanitarian knowledge. This study presents a study of the syntactic side of the discursive formation of national British identity. In the scientific field, there is a need to study the discursive expression of national identity. Since discursive research is actively conducted in modern linguistics, the study of national, including British, identity through discursive practices, for example, discourse analysis, will reveal the means that influence the formation and expression of national British identity in English-language online publications. This determines the relevance of the study. The objectives of the study are defined as follows: to describe aspects of the national identity of modern British society and its functioning in political discourse; to consider the discursive functioning of syntactic tools; to sample syntactic tools in the texts of British online publications for the period January - February 2025 and to carry out their classification description; to analyze the results of the study. The research material consists of articles from the online editions of the Daily Mail (URL: https://www.dailymail.co.uk ) and "The Guardian" (URL: https://www.theguardian.com ) for the period from January to February 2025, covering a thematic block on politics. The theoretical basis of the research is based on the discursive research of E. E. Shekhovtsova, S. Abrahamyan, M. Banshchikova, V. V. Katerina, N. B. Shershneva, I. V. Savelyeva, K. Garcia-Caseles, A. A. Malenkova, M. V. Melnichuk, E. A. Starodubtseva, E. Y. Alyoshina, D. D. Golova, T. G. Popova, S. V. Loskutova. There is also a consideration of various aspects of national British identity in the theoretical part of the study using the works of B. Tranter, J. Donogh, O. Y. Kornienko, R. T. Ashcroft, M. Bevir, E. A. Atapin, F. Edverton, O. Record, I. V. Kazakov, S. G. Malkin, V. Honeymann, E. S. Ignatova, K. Painter. The aspect of the research devoted to syntactic discursive means is described using the works of M. S. Matytsina, N. V. Gavrilenko, N. F. Khasanova, I. V. Gilmutdinova, R. Z. Zakirova, E. V. Seredina, R. F. Huseynova, revealing syntactic discursive means in all their diversity. Research methods and techniques used to achieve the objectives set: theoretical analysis and synthesis in the collection of material and its subsequent processing; continuous sampling method, which allows you to select suitable examples among the variety of material for their analysis in the practical part of the study; discursive analysis, the study of dictionary definitions and the structural method in the process of analysis, classification and description of syntactic tools; the method of quantitative calculation for the statistical expression of the results obtained in the practical part of the work. The practical significance of this work may include its application in classes in the linguistic cycle disciplines devoted to discourse, as well as a practical English course, stylistics and pragmatics of the English language. Speaking about the phenomenon of national identity, it is impossible to give it a single correct definition. As I. V. Kazakov notes, national identity is based on ideas and concepts common to the collective that shares this identity. National identity emphasizes the differences of a particular nation from other nations and emphasizes the homogeneity of the nation, while ignoring the differences between groups within the nation [1]. O. Y. Kornienko notes such characteristic features of the British national identity as the sovereignty of the royal power, freedom of speech, patriotism, British history and culture, etc. [2]. Actors form diverse ideas about British national identity, which may sometimes contradict each other [3]. Both domestic and foreign scientists, for example, E. A. Atapin, E. S. Ignatova, S. G. Malkin, K. Painter and V. Honeymann, note in their research such a feature of the national British identity as contrasting oneself with the rest of the world, including the European powers. [4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. An interesting conclusion was reached by the scientists B. Tranter and J. Smith, studying the national British identity. Donog. They conducted a survey of the British population and found that the British, when describing the symbols of the nation, refer not to "classic" ancient heroes, but to relatively recent national leaders. Thus, the British singled out Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II as symbols of the nation (the study was conducted in 2017) [9]. Of the recent historical events, Brexit had the greatest impact on the formation of Britain's national identity [10]. F. Edverton and O. Record, in their study of British national identity, conclude that the Brexit campaign set the population up for the fact that they were radically different from residents of the European Union, which eventually became one of the factors in the implementation of Brexit [11]. Modern studies of the state of British national identity have shown that it is in a state of crisis, despite the expectations of the Brexit campaign [12, 13]. National identity is formed and transformed mainly discursively [14]. Modern discursive research examines discourse from the point of view of cultural specificity [15]. The dominant discourse is one because of its victory over other discourses, sometimes contradictory in meaning [16]. British political discourse is considered stingy with emotions, but politicians still sometimes resort to emotional value arguments. Thus, T. May justified the need to preserve the unity of the country with a "sense of duty to the younger generation" [17]. The current direction of studying English-language discourse is the study of its lexical component. The lexical unit is a repository of cultural semantics, therefore it is a constant object of study by researchers [18]. For example, E. E. Shekhovtsova, V. V. Katerina, N. B. Shershneva describe in their works the neologisms of English-language discourse with Latin and Greek prefixes and "classical" Latin expressions. Scientists conclude that these lexemes are common in modern British discourse of various types [19, 20]. This study examines discursive syntactic tools. According to E. V. Sredina, the syntax of the text includes units of different order from phrases to complex sentences [21]. Discursive syntactic tools can help to diversify the text and emphasize an important element for perception [22]. In the work of N. F. Khasanova, I. V. Gilmutdinova, R. Z. Zakirova, devoted to syntactic means of expressing expressivity in the British press, such discursive syntactic means as inversion, transposition, syntactic convergence, parallel constructions, pronominal-correlative complex sentences (Cleft sentences) are considered [23]. In turn, in the study of political discourse by M. S. Matytsina, syntactic means such as introductory words and combinations, subjunctive mood, passive constructions, declarative vocabulary, anaphora, etc. appear [24]. This work presents syntactic discursive means of expressing national British identity. In the practical part of the study, the publications of the British online editions of the Daily Mail were analyzed (URL: https://www.dailymail.co.uk ) and "The Guardian" (URL: https://www.theguardian.com ) for the period January-February 2025: articles of the thematic block "Politics". A total of 30 articles were analyzed (15 articles each in the online editions of The Guardian and Daily Mail, respectively) in the "Politics" thematic block; 210 syntactic tools were identified (104 - The Guardian, 106 – Daily Mail). The most frequent syntactic means of expressing British national identity are passive constructions (30 – "The Guardian", 36 – "Daily Mail"), subjunctive mood (23 – "The Guardian", 15 – "Daily Mail") and the use of modal verbs (10 – "The Guardian", 20 – "Daily Mail"). It should be noted that during the practical part of the study, the features of the analyzed online publications were also revealed. The Guardian is characterized by long, complex narrative sentences, while The Daily Mail, on the contrary, uses simple and succinct sentences. Passive constructions as a way of shifting attention away from the actor and weakening the causal relationship between the actor and the process are common in the political discourse of the British media. Thus, N. V. Gavrilenko notes the fact that Eurooptimists used the usual passive constructions during the campaign before Brexit, while eurosceptics emphasized the pronoun "we" in their speech and identified themselves with the voters, which allowed them to win [25]. Example 1. «As soon as this group was brought to our attention, a thorough investigation was launched in line with the Labour Party's rules and procedures and this process is ongoing» [26]. "As soon as this group was brought to our attention, a thorough investigation was launched in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Labor Party, and this process is still ongoing." Syntactic means: passive construction. Example 2. «John Tuckett was named last month as the Government's 'preferred candidate' for the role» [27]. "Last month, John Tackett was named the government's 'preferred candidate' for the position." Syntactic means: passive construction. Example 3. «Mr Ryan was forced to issue an apology, saying he regrets his comments» [26]. "Mr. Ryan has been forced to apologize, saying he regrets his comments." Syntactic means: passive construction. The predominance of passive constructions, Present Continuous Passive, is particularly emphasized, indicating not only a shift in emphasis from the actor, but also the relevance of the described situation. Example 4. «In fairness, Elizabeth didn't know it either – she was being manipulated as well» [28]. "To be fair, Elizabeth didn't know that either–she was being manipulated, too." Syntactic means: the passive construction of Present Continuous Passive. Example 5. «Leadbeater said the amendment would relieve the court system – as advised by expert witnesses – and add extra protection against people being coerced to end their lives» [29]. "Leadbeater said that the amendment would relieve the burden on the judicial system–as expert witnesses advised–and add additional protection against forcing people to commit suicide." Syntactic means: the passive construction of Present Continuous Passive. Speaking of the subjunctive mood, it should be mentioned that it is used mainly in an optative sense (expresses the desire of the speaker), indicating thoughts and dreams of changing the situation, the possibility of getting out of it with the least loss. Example 6. «The government believes its record on migration could help retain Labour voters tempted by Nigel Farage’s party» [30]. "The government believes that its migration data could help keep Labour voters tempted by Nigel Farage's party." Syntactic means: the subjunctive mood in the optative sense. Example 7. «It wouldn’t be done in private. It would be taking into account patient confidentiality but there would be public proceedings» [29]. "It would not have been done in private. This would have been done with the patient's privacy in mind, but there would have been a public trial." Syntactic means: the subjunctive mood in the optative sense. It is impossible to ignore the use of modal verbs by the British media for the discursive formation of British national identity. This syntactic tool often carries the semantics of the possibility of changing the situation for the better. Example 8. «Patients can also ask for a panel to sit in private, with the decision made by the panel chair» [31]. "Patients can also request that the commission hold a meeting in private, and the decision will be made by the chairman of the commission." Syntactic means: modal verb "can", passive construction. Example 9. «The amendments also set out that if someone refused an assisted death by a panel believes the decision was irrational, unfair or wrong under the law, they can appeal to the commissioner» [31]. "The amendments also establish that if someone who was refused death assistance by the commission believes that the decision was irrational, unfair or wrong from the point of view of the law, he can appeal to an authorized person." Syntactic means: the modal verb "can". It is impossible not to highlight in this work such a syntactic tool as anaphora, which is not so frequent, but important for the formation of the national British identity. It is a syntactic technique for constructing adjacent sentences according to the same pattern, thus building a parallel syntactic structure. This technique is used both to emphasize key points in the text and to better organize it rhythmically. Example 10. «She debuted the tailored single-breasted design at the Easter Sunday service in Windsor 17 years ago. She dusted it off again for Royal Ascot in 2009 and then a decade later wore it for the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston at St George's Chapel in Windsor» [32]. "She first presented a custom-made single-breasted suit at an Easter Sunday service in Windsor 17 years ago. She wore it again at the Royal Ascot ceremony in 2009, and then, ten years later, she wore it to the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston at St. George's Chapel in Windsor." Syntactic means: anaphora. Example 11. «Obviously the chancellor, like every cabinet member, has been through that process. The process is governed by the independent adviser. Obviously I can’t get into detail» [33]. "It is obvious that the Chancellor, like every member of the cabinet, has gone through this process. The process is led by an independent advisor. Obviously, I can't go into details." Syntactic means: anaphora, passive construction. The conclusion drawn on the basis of the results of the practical part of the study is as follows: syntactic means often carry the implication of both avoiding responsibility (passive constructions) and hoping for a change in the situation and a more successful outcome (subjunctive mood, use of modal verbs). It is also worth highlighting the less frequent syntactic constructions used by the British media to connect the text and keep the reader's attention, for example, anaphora. The results of this study confirm the results of research on the lexical and semantic-rhetorical means of expressing British national identity, conducted by the author earlier, and indicate a pronounced crisis of the national identity of Great Britain [12, 13]. Based on the results of the study, the following conclusions can be drawn: In the course of the research, the theoretical aspects of the national British identity were considered, its characteristic features and functioning were described in articles in online UK publications. The analysis of this material made it possible to create a theoretical basis for the work, to identify the main features of the discursive functioning of the national British identity at this stage of the development of British society. Most scientists agree that British national identity is in crisis, despite the efforts of the Brexit campaigns. Next, syntactic tools and their contribution to the formation of the national British identity were described. An analysis of the syntactic means of English-language political discourse has shown that they are used primarily to emphasize key information in the text for its better assimilation by the recipient. In the practical part of the study, articles from online publications in the United Kingdom were analyzed for the presence of syntactic discursive means of forming British national identity (January - February 2025), which made it possible to make a selection of the most frequent syntactic means, classifying and describing them in the practical part of the study. At the end of the practical part of the study, the results were analyzed and the frequency syntactic discursive means of forming British national identity were identified: passive constructions (30 – "The Guardian", 36 – "Daily Mail"), subjunctive mood (23 – "The Guardian", 15 – "Daily Mail"), and the use of modal verbs (10 – "The Guardian", 20 – "Daily Mail"). The syntactic means chosen by the British media for the discursive formation of British national identity often carry the subtext of avoiding responsibility (passive constructions), hopes for a change in the situation and for a more successful outcome (subjunctive mood, use of modal verbs). Thus, it was revealed that the crisis of the national identity of Great Britain is still relevant for British society. The research perspective is the study of intertextuality and interdiscursivity as a way of constructing the discursive expression of British national identity. References
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