“Entrée into the Mind and Mood of America”: Proverbs in Commencement Rhetoric

The present paper explores different aspects of proverb use in the commencement address discourse. It draws on the analysis of 100 speeches delivered at US universities over the past three decades. First, I offer some introductory remarks about the commencement ceremony as a socio-cultural phenomenon. Second, I look at the discursive characteristics of the commencement address. Next, I analyze the role proverbs play on the thematic level of the speeches and provide comments on their cognitive-discursive functions in the most significant thematic groups distinguished in the course of study. Last, I offer a closer study of the entertaining function and the function of structural organization of dis-course proverbs fulfill in the commencement address

“Love Trumps Hate”: Proverbial and Idiomatic Leitmotifs of the Anti-Trump Social Media Discourse

The present paper explores different aspects of the use of proverbs and popular idioms found in anti-Trump social media posts. It draws on the analysis of 700 texts posted on Facebook and Twitter during September 2019 and January 2020 by a number of opposition communities. First, we offer some introductory remarks about the topic, methods, and the practical material. Second, we present a thematic classification of the sampled media texts. Third, we discuss the idiomatic portrayal of the President and the Republican Party and the use of multiple codes (i.e. phenomenon of creolization) in the collected posts. Fourth, we look into how culture specific proverbs, mostly modified, are employed as a form of structuring American socio-political reality and verbalizing the pre-sent-day phenomena, and, then, highlight the problem of paremiological creativity. Last, we specify what cognitive-discursive functions the analyzed proverbs and idioms fulfill in the anti-Trump social media dis-course. The study has confirmed the proposition that proverbs and idioms as lingua-cognitive signs possess significant potential for influencing mass audiences and molding public opinion

“Time’s Up” When Enough is Enough: The Proverbial Voice of Social Change

The present article explores how Anglo-American proverbs function in the discourse of the contemporary social movement “Time’s Up”. The hypothesis behind the study is the proposition that due to their cognitive nature and universality as a linguistic means proverbs can serve as efficient tools of influencing public opinion and achieving the ultimate goal of making social change happen. Cognitive-discursive functions of 8 paremias used in public speaking and Internet discourse by prominent activists and supporters of the “Time’s Up” initiative are described. It is revealed that proverbs fulfill the function of semantic highlighting (formulate key ideas of the campaign), phatic function (a signal of establishing and maintaining contact in discourse), the function of cognitive economy and emotional highlighting. The hypothesis is supported by the results of the study

“Love Trumps Hate”: Proverbial and Idiomatic Leitmotifs of the Anti-Trump Social Media Discourse

The present paper explores different aspects of the use of proverbs and popular idioms found in anti-Trump social media posts. It draws on the analysis of 700 texts posted on Facebook and Twitter during September 2019 and January 2020 by a number of opposition communities. First, we offer some introductory remarks about the topic, methods, and the practical material. Second, we present a thematic classification of the sampled media texts. Third, we discuss the idiomatic portrayal of the President and the Republican Party and the use of multiple codes (i.e. phenomenon of creolization) in the collected posts. Fourth, we look into how culture specific proverbs, mostly modified, are employed as a form of structuring American socio-political reality and verbalizing the pre-sent-day phenomena, and, then, highlight the problem of paremiological creativity. Last, we specify what cognitive-discursive functions the analyzed proverbs and idioms fulfill in the anti-Trump social media dis-course. The study has confirmed the proposition that proverbs and idioms as lingua-cognitive signs possess significant potential for influencing mass audiences and molding public opinion

Proverbs in an American Musical: A Cognitive- Discursive Study of “The Full Monty”

In this article I present the results of the cognitive-discursive study into the way Anglo-American proverbs function in an American musical. “The Full Monty” was selected as the material for my analysis. First, I look at some characteristic features of the American musical dis-course relevant to the study. Next, I distinguish the functions proverbs fulfill in “The Full Monty” discourse. Last, I compare how proverbs are used both in the musical and the eponymous British movie

Proverbs in an American Musical: A Cognitive- Discursive Study of “The Full Monty”

In this article I present the results of the cognitive-discursive study into the way Anglo-American proverbs function in an American musical. “The Full Monty” was selected as the material for my analysis. First, I look at some characteristic features of the American musical dis-course relevant to the study. Next, I distinguish the functions proverbs fulfill in “The Full Monty” discourse. Last, I compare how proverbs are used both in the musical and the eponymous British movie

Cognitive-Discursive Functions of Anglo-American Proverbs

This article explores the role Anglo-American paremias (or proverbs), both standard and modified, play in the processes of cognition and communication. I argue that their cognitive nature as precedent utterances accounts for their ubiquity and their significant conceptual power. Indisputably, paremias possess certain rhetorical value but this “artful” dimension of the use of proverbs is not going to be my main concern here. In addition to being efficient rhetorical means, they serve to structure discourse and convey information. I propose a list of cognitive-discursive functions these formulaic phrases fulfil in discourse, and exemplify each with one or more instances of their use. The primary data include the discourse of public speaking – excerpts from Nobel Prize acceptance speeches, commencement ad-dresses, and presidential political rhetoric (Clinton and Obama) – as well as media discourse (excerpts from an American TV series and print interviews)

“Time’s Up” When Enough is Enough: The Proverbial Voice of Social Change

The present article explores how Anglo-American proverbs function in the discourse of the contemporary social movement “Time’s Up”. The hypothesis behind the study is the proposition that due to their cognitive nature and universality as a linguistic means proverbs can serve as efficient tools of influencing public opinion and achieving the ultimate goal of making social change happen. Cognitive-discursive functions of 8 paremias used in public speaking and Internet discourse by prominent activists and supporters of the “Time’s Up” initiative are described. It is revealed that proverbs fulfill the function of semantic highlighting (formulate key ideas of the campaign), phatic function (a signal of establishing and maintaining contact in discourse), the function of cognitive economy and emotional highlighting. The hypothesis is supported by the results of the study

Cognitive-Discursive Functions of Anglo-American Proverbs

This article explores the role Anglo-American paremias (or proverbs), both standard and modified, play in the processes of cognition and communication. I argue that their cognitive nature as precedent utterances accounts for their ubiquity and their significant conceptual power. Indisputably, paremias possess certain rhetorical value but this “artful” dimension of the use of proverbs is not going to be my main concern here. In addition to being efficient rhetorical means, they serve to structure discourse and convey information. I propose a list of cognitive-discursive functions these formulaic phrases fulfil in discourse, and exemplify each with one or more instances of their use. The primary data include the discourse of public speaking – excerpts from Nobel Prize acceptance speeches, commencement ad-dresses, and presidential political rhetoric (Clinton and Obama) – as well as media discourse (excerpts from an American TV series and print interviews)

“Entrée into the Mind and Mood of America”: Proverbs in Commencement Rhetoric

The present paper explores different aspects of proverb use in the commencement address discourse. It draws on the analysis of 100 speeches delivered at US universities over the past three decades. First, I offer some introductory remarks about the commencement ceremony as a socio-cultural phenomenon. Second, I look at the discursive characteristics of the commencement address. Next, I analyze the role proverbs play on the thematic level of the speeches and provide comments on their cognitive-discursive functions in the most significant thematic groups distinguished in the course of study. Last, I offer a closer study of the entertaining function and the function of structural organization of dis-course proverbs fulfill in the commencement address