LEXICO-SEMANTIC FEATURES OF REPRESENTATION OF ETHNIC TOLERANCE IN MODERN AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

The paper focuses on the investigation of lexical-semantic features of ethnic tolerance representation in modern American presidential discourse. Linguistic studios interpret tolerance as a universal category that forms communication, affects its mechanisms and results. In this paper ethnic tolerance in American presidential discourse is defined as a compliance of the addresser and addressee of the presidential discourse with the ethical model of interethnic relations and popularization of this model that aims at society consolidation. Ethnic tolerance is manifested through an unbiased assessment, acceptance of different worldviews, faiths and cultures, awareness of equal rights and respect for democratic freedoms. The set of semantic components of the concept of tolerance in the English language is distinguished and four lexico-semantic groups representing ethnic tolerance in American presidential discourse: “culture of the alien”, “cooperation”, “attitude to the alien”, “right to independence” are identified. These groups are singled out given the dominance of semantic components of tolerance which denote the object of tolerance, the form of relations with the object of tolerance, the attitude to the object of tolerance and the right of the object of tolerance. The verbal representation of ethnic tolerance in American presidential discourse is characterized by non-categoricity, the use of plural first person pronouns and vocabulary with positive and negative connotation to emphasize positive intentions towards other states and nations. Taking into account the functional and stylistic components, the language means of ethnic tolerance are represented by political, legal and diplomatic terminology.
The analysis of the lexico-semantic means that represent ethnic tolerance in modern American presidential discourse makes it possible to identify the basic value of this type of discourse and clarify the main features of the implementation of the ethnic tolerant behaviour.