LINGUAL EXPRESSION OF MORALITY OF SOCIAL DISTANCING IN THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE PUBLICISTIC DISCOURSE

Abstract

The analysis of lingual ways and means of expression of morality of social distancing consequences in the English language publicistic discourse is in the focus of this article. The need to identify the lingual resources capable of expressing moral viability of the consequences of the world fragmentation determined the topicality of this research. With the uncertainty of the emergency situation given the limited data and curtailed economic and political contacts among nations the functions of a balanced public discourse takes on added significance. Public dialogue is an efficient way of presaging future developments while tackling emerging challenges.

The research is based on the scientific tenets and methods of moral teleology, consequentialism and utilitarianism. The analysis of the lingual material was carried out with reference to the nomenclature of consequences developed in the domain of consequentialism. The types of consequences have been systematized as per criteria of motivation, purpose and beneficiaries of social distancing. The lingual means expressing moral viability of undertaken social distancing measures have been analyzed considering social recipients they are aimed at, depending on how stringent those measures are, the section of community they are supposed to cover, how effective they are, the intended consequences. Words designating undertaken social distancing measures are capable of indicating the moral viability of restricting procedures which bring about the consequences favorable to the majority of people. The semantic structure of lexical units expressing social alienation can be subject to transformation eventually acquiring positive evaluative connotations given the moral viability of social isolation in the evolving crisis. The lexical units designating drastic institutionalized restricting measures possess pronounced emotional colouring.