PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR IN THE DISCOURSE OF UKRAINE CONFLICT SETTLEMENT NEGOTIATIONS

Abstract

The article presents a pragmalinguistic analysis of conceptual metaphors in the diplomatic discourse of peace negotiations concerning the settlement of the armed conflict in Ukraine. The research corpus comprises transcripts of UN Security Council and UN General Assembly meetings held in 2024–2026 and dedicated to discussions of ceasefire conditions and peaceful resolution; the total corpus size is approximately 120,000 words, with 47 delegations represented as speakers. The aim of the study is to identify structural types of conceptual metaphors and to establish their pragmatic functions within the discourse under investigation. The methodological framework draws on Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory, the MIPVU metaphor identification procedure, and Brown and Levinson’s face management theory. The analysis of 643 identified metaphorical units has revealed four dominant conceptual models: NEGOTIATIONS ARE A JOURNEY (38.4%), instantiated through «path to peace», «steps towards», «move the parties towards ceasefire»; PEACE IS A BUILDING (30.8%), instantiated through «robust security guarantees», «parameters of peace», «uphold sovereignty»; NEGOTIATIONS ARE A DEMARCATED SPACE (22.4%), instantiated through «red lines», «abide by agreements», «will not agree to any foreign diktat»; and CONFLICT IS A NATURAL FORCE (8.4%), instantiated through «spiral of conflicts», «game of nuclear roulette», «cycle of escalation». At the pragmatic level, motion metaphors construct a cooperative speaker stance through positive politeness strategies; construction metaphors legitimize demands by framing them as neutral technical requirements; spatial boundary metaphors mark confrontational positions and threaten negative face; and natural force metaphors reduce speaker agency and redistribute responsibility for escalation. A systematic correlation has been established between the type of metaphorical model and the communicative strategy of a delegation: mediating parties consistently employ journey and construction metaphors, whereas confrontational stances are marked by spatial metaphors with rigid, inviolable boundaries. The findings reveal pragmatic mechanisms of influence in diplomatic discourse and confirm the constitutive role of metaphor in shaping negotiation identities.