The thesis 'The role of the Czech public media in the pension reform discourse' aims to provide a critical reflection on the role of the Czech Television and the Czech Radio in the debate over the changes in the pension scheme of the Czech Republic. The principal method used for that is the discourse analysis, which comprises quality and quantity analysis of the media output, interviews and personal observation. The research project focuses on the context the debate over the pension reform occurs and how it is presented in the public media. The theoretical part summarizes the theoretical concepts used in the research project, i.e. concepts from the field of public policy, social policy, mass communication and discourse analysis. The empirical part examines the institutional development of the pension reform, its variations in political, scholarly (Czech and international) and public discourse. The major part of the research project is based on the discourse analysis of the pension reform discourse in the Czech public media. The role of the public media in the pension reform discourse is deduced on the basis of the theoretical and empirical parts.

The master thesis titled Italian Political Discourse and Securitization of Immigration: the Case of the Maghreb revolutions in 2011 deals with the issue of mass immigration waves reaching Italian shores and, in particular, the tiny island of Lampedusa during the initial phase of the so called Arab Spring. Its main goal lies in reconstruction and interpretation of the political discourse led by Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right government presenting the immigration crisis as a serious threat to national and potentially to European security. The first part introduces the general theoretical framework. The securitization theory of the Copenhagen School was used as an instrument for the thesis, including major criticism raised by the authors belonging to the social constructivist approach. In the second part, the author tries to characterize the basic historical and political context and clarifies the specifics of immigration in contemporary Italy. The last segment contains structuralized discourse analysis of the 2011 events and explores the extraordinary measures adopted and implemented in reaction to the government rhetoric at both the national and supranational levels. In this respect, the author pays special attention to how the process of negotiations finally led to the revision of the EU...

Over the last six decades, the Eurovision Song Contest has tried to embody the voice of European unification and international corporation. Previous scholars have depicted Eurovision as something highly influential and beneficial for all participating parties, whether that relates to the opportunity for commercial profit, outspoken Europeanist aspirations, or desired political progress– the song contest is utilized by multiple actors for varying reasons. In this study, I aim to demonstrate how it functions as an alternative cultural battlefield, a unifying apparatus, a signifier of projections, and a vehicle for soft power politics in warfare. It is an essay about political storytelling– the dichotomies between collaboration and resistance, Europeanist aspirations versus nationalistic objectives, the democratic against the totalitarian, the good and the bad. The Eurovision rationale aims to encourage certain rules of behavior and regulate conduct towards those nations that have failed to adhere to these rules. When these assumptions gain terrain in the public discourse, epistemological hegemonies are maintained, power relations sustained and public opinion affected. The study uses a methodological framework of qualitative research, and the empirical data consists of seven interviews followed by a visual analysis of the performances and context surrounding entries from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia over the years. Three main narratives emanated from this study. The Eurovision Song Contest can be understood as an imagined community created by language and imagined through symbols of meaning. The governing body of Eurovision is the sovereign player who gets to control the political discourse by managing the selection of songs and participating countries. With impression management, the participating nations try and regulate how they are perceived in a public setting. It is communicated through carefully curated performances and acted out by constructed characters. When one fails to adhere to the rules set by the ESC organizers, disturbances occur, and the competition's core values are threatened.

New media and mobile technologies have opened up numerous 'unregulated spaces' (Sebba, 2009b) and public spheres for self expression, interpersonal interactions as well as the transnational transcultural flow and fusion of ideologies (Pennycook, 2007). The discursive and interactive possibilities of mobile and Web 2.0 technologies make computer-mediated communication (CMC) platforms techno-linguistic environments for virtual deliberation and discussions. Online multilingualism and contact phenomena easily flourish in such contexts. Many Nigerians at home and abroad are embracing the CMC technologies to interact with one another, to negotiate profitable ideas for the betterment of Nigeria and to redress endemic socio-political issues. This study examines the linguistic construction of textual messages by Nigerians and the sociocultural manifestations of 'Nigerianness' (Chiluwa, 2008) and Nigerianisms in digital discourse. The dissertation is divided into four parts, each comprising two chapters. Part I introduces the subject matter and research focus, with an examination of language and identity in the typographical representations of Nigerianness by theoretically using relevant aspects of discursive work (e.g. Benwell & Stokoe, 2006; Bucholtz & Hall, 2005; De Fina, Schiffrin & Bamberg, 2006; Le Page & Tabouret-Keller, 1985; Llamas & Watt, 2010); Part II is concerned with the theme of Internet code switching and language crossing; Part III addresses the dialectical connection of language, new media technologies and politics; while Part IV presents the questionnaire survey results and research findings. The study innovatively examines language contact features in Nigerian CMC in terms of Bourdieu's (1977) economics of linguistic exchanges and the Faircloughian (1992) application of intertextuality in the Bakhtinian spirit. By linguistic marketing is meant discourse as a vehicle for 'promotional acts' and for 'selling' particular cultures and ideologies to multicultural and multilingual readers/audiences. One interpretation of this is in terms of asserting language rights and linguistic equality. Therefore, the use of Nigerian languages with Nigerian Pidgin online is promotional and for existential negotiation. This results in language mixture which is an instantiation of freedom of speech, freedom of switch and the freedom to switch. The underlying pragmatic motivation for top-down language mixture and alternation in Nigerian virtual discourse is attention-getting with the aim of inducing an interdiscursive writer-reader cognitive as well as communicative interactions. Other pragmatic functions of code switching discussed in the study include allusive textuality, amusing phaticity, anticipated interactivity, affective expressivity, and audience affiliation or alienation. Thus, intertextuality is an explanatory technique for investigating previously unexplored phenomena in digital code switching. Rampton's (1995) conceptualisation of language crossing is used to explicate the graphemic representations of variation in Nigerian English phonology. Additionally, for the sake of explanatory exigency, relevant aspects of speech acts theory (SAT) (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1969) are fused with critical discourse analysis (CDA) for the construction of our data-derived, election-oriented, politico-pragmatic tweet acts, in terms of what we call Good Governance Maxims (GGM). Finally, there are two types of data employed in the study: (i) corpus (INEC i.e. Informal Nigerian Electronic Communication with PLANET - Purposeful Language Alternation in Nigerian Electronic Texts) and (ii) questionnaire survey. The random sampling of 1,154 Nigerian undergraduates offline illustrates how computer-mediated discourse analysis (CMDA) can be supplemented by a sociolinguistic survey in what Androutsopoulos (2006:424) calls “the observation of Internet use in offline social spaces” through a blend of on- and offline ethnography.

[pt] Entre 1835 e 1852, Juan Manuel de Rosas estruturou o segundo mandato como governador de Buenos Aires através de amplos poderes, forte propaganda e censura, coerção política e violência. O objetivo era criar uma esfera de unanimidade, entendendo que esse caminho levaria as Províncias Unidas do Rio da Prata à ordem republicana, tão desejada desde a década de 1820. Se na cidade de Buenos Aires havia a presença do governo nos âmbitos público e privado, em um cenário de autonomia das províncias a relação de Rosas com os governadores encontrou formas específicas para se organizar, fazendo com que o período em que esteve como governador fosse diferente de tudo que as Províncias Unidas já haviam passado até aquele contexto. O presente trabalho pretende, então, identificar determinadas ações do governo de Rosas a partir de 1835 para com as províncias presente nas cartas aos governadores e na imprensa oficial para entender os caminhos escolhidos pelo líder em busca da consolidação de um governo conhecido como autoritário que se utilizou do discurso federal. / [en] Between 1835 and 1852, the second term of Juan Manuel de Rosas as governor of Buenos Aires was defined by his use of broad powers to control the press, as well as executing censorship, political coercion and violence. His objective was to create a sense of unity, with the promise that this path would take the Provinces of Rio da Prata closer to a Republican ideal, a political system that had been sought for since the 1820s. Although the presence of the government in the city of Buenos Aires was strong both in the public and private spheres, the provinces enjoyed more autonomy. Rosas reorganized the relationship with each region, so that the period in which he was governor was different from everything that the United Provinces had previously experienced with regards to the political relationship between local provinces and the central government. The present work intends to identify certain actions of Rosas government from 1835 in the provinces available in the letters to the governors and the official press to understand the paths chosen by the leader for the consolidation of a government that, although it used the discourse of federalism, is widely held to be authoritarian.

In 2022 Spain recorded its highest suicide rates in history. Spanish politicians acknowledge the need for solutions but fail to agree on adequate ones that could help decrease the current upward trend in suicides. The study aims to analyse practical argumentations advanced by politicians during the 2022 Parliamentary debate where the issue of suicide was addressed, to explore the place suicide has in the decision-making process, to investigate the reasons for and against concrete ways of acting regarding the issue, and to understand how these arguments align with current political ideologies. This will deepen the understanding of the political response to the suicide crisis. To achieve this aim, the research applies Isabela and Norman Fairclough’s Political Discourse Analysis framework. The findings show that suicide is not addressed as the public health crisis it constitutes, and it is overshadowed by political power dynamics where regional nationalistic ideologies play a big role.

Gaming as an activity possesses many different facets (Sköld 2018: 134). One important yet relatively underexplored is the social facet, how the act of gaming is impacted by social rules and codes. Previous research on the topic is relatively limited and mainly performed retroactively on older game communities. The thesis addresses this lack of research by studying a community formed around World of Warcraft, a game that currently has an active player base.  By specifically studying a World of Warcraft guild whose members define the guild by its social nature (Interview 1,2,3,4), this thesis provides a perspective on how the desire to maintain relationships impact how gaming is practiced and what is considered to be desirable behaviour among players.  The thesis is based on material gathered in four interviews and two observations of guild members playing together. The interviews were primarily focused on discovering how the members experienced the guild and the game itself, and what they believed to be positive or negative behaviour. The observations were intended to study how the members interact in practice, how the ideas and notions that they mentioned in the interviews were expressed while playing. The analysis uses Political Discourse Theory (PDT) to connect the ideas, practices and terms used in both interviews and observations into a cohesive discourse. This discourse is then divided into specific traits that are seen desirable within different contexts.  The thesis finds that being respectful of other guild members time is seen as the most important trait among players. This respect is primarily expressed through understanding that other members have lives outside of the game and therefore cannot devote the majority of their time to the game. If another player or even the game itself demands more from a member than they are able to give, it is seen as problematic. Accomplishing in-game goals is seen as fun, yet unimportant in comparison to maintaining a respectful social environment within the guild.

The aim of this study is to examine how politicians use language and communication strategies when discussing gang crime in the media. Through an ethnological approach, this study aims to delve into the narratives constructed by political figures about gang crime in media representations. By analyzing how different political actors articulate their opinions and select specific terms, the study seeks to shed light on the political perspectives and the overarching discourse on the topic. By exploring questions such as how politicians communicate about gang crime and the terminology they employ, the study aims to enhance our understanding of how language in the media can influence perceptions and discussions about gang crime.

Диссертация посвящена проблеме коммуникативного поведения в политических ток-шоу. Описана гендерная специфика речевого поведения телеведущих Владимира Соловьева и Ольги Скабеевой; определены коммуникативные правила и принципы, которыми они руководствуются на протяжении всей передачи в контексте своей гендерной роли; выявлен набор общих стратегий: самопрезентации, дискредитации, кооперативно-фатической стратегии. Такой универсальный набор выявленных стратегий (и представляющих их тактик) позволяет сделать вывод, что сегодня в политическом дискурсе женственность нейтрализуется, но в то же время активно развивается тенденция к применению гендерных стратегий как для мужчин, так и для женщин. Эта новая особенность современного политического дискурса находится в стадии формирования и нуждается в дальнейшем рассмотрении. / The dissertation is devoted to the problem of communicative behavior in political talk shows. The gender specificity of speech behavior of TV hostesses Vladimir Solovyov and Olga Skabеeva is described; communicative rules and principles that they follow throughout the broadcast in the context of gender role are defined; the set of generic strategies is detected: self-presentation strategy, discredit strategy, cooperative-phatic strategy. Such a universal set of identified strategies (and representing their tactics) allows to make a conclusion that today in political discourse femininity is neutralized, but at the same time the tendency to apply both male and female gender strategies begins to develop actively. This new feature of modern political discourse is at the stage of formation and needs further consideration.

Магистерская диссертация углубляет современные научные представления о содержании категории залога в русском языке, систематизируя точки зрения ученых на категорию залога. Автор разработал систему упражнений по грамматике для иностранной аудитории. позволяющую развивать коммуникативную компетенцию учащихся. Система упражнения организована по тематическому принципу с опорой на актуальные проблемы современного общества. / The master’s thesis sheds light on the modern scientific views on the content of the category of voice in the Russian language systemizing various views on the category of voice. The author developed a system of grammar exercises for foreign students which helps to develop communicative competence. The system of exercises is organized on a thematic basis involving relevant issues of the modern society.