LANGUAGE IMAGE OF THE DEFENDER OF UKRAINE IN THE TEXTS OF THE WAR PERIOD

Halyna SІUTA,
Doctor of Philological Sciences, Leading Researcher of Department of stylistics, language culture and sociolinguistics,
Institute of the Ukrainian Language of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine;
4, Mykhaila Hrushevskoho St., Kyiv 01001, Ukraine;
e-mail: siutagalia@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3273-1644

Heading: WAR AND LANGUAGE
Language: Ukrainian

Abstract
The article presents a textual analysis of the linguistic image of the defender of Ukraine, outlined in Ukrainian media and fiction texts of 2022–2023.
The phenomenon of glorification of the image of Ukraine’s defenders is documented. This is an absolutely justified information strategy aimed at actively countering the propaganda of the aggressor country, in particular fake and discrediting materials that undermine the credibility of the Ukrainian army.
It is noted that important for the linguistic description of the defenders of Ukraine are: a) names of military formations, military organisations, military units – army, Armed Forces of Ukraine / AFU, national guard, territorial defence, assault brigade, etc; b) names of persons – members of military formations, military organisations, military units – fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, soldiers, national guardsmen, Azov soldiers, assault troops, etc; c) names of persons with the meaning of ‘one who protects from the enemy’, ‘one who fights the enemy’ – defenders, fighters, warriors, brothers-in-arms; d) metaphorical nominations – cyborgs, warriors of Light, knights of Freedom, Ukrainian angels of sky.
The epithets are predictably dominated by intimating meanings (ours, dear, dear, native), positive evaluations (the best, stubborn, stubborn, faithful, unbreakable, proud, true) and glorification (superpowerful, holy, sacred).
In accordance with the glorification strategy, nominations and images with the semes ‘heroism’, ‘victory’, ‘patriotism’, ‘honour’, ‘glory’, ‘dignity’, ‘invincibility’, ‘resilience’, ‘strength’, ‘power’, ‘courage’, ‘bravery’, ‘courage’, ‘bravery’, ‘goodness’, ‘love’, ‘light’, ‘salvation’ dominate in the linguistic descriptions of Ukraine’s defenders.
The significance of the image of the hero is demonstrated.
The article reveals and illustrates the productivity of lexical, syntactic, stylistic structures – wartime language signs and identifiers of Ukrainian’s attitudes towards the defenders of Ukraine.
Key words: linguistic image of the defender of Ukraine, linguistic picture of the world, time-marked wartime linguistic signs, media practice, artistic practice.

REFERENCES
Dictionary of the Ukrainian language: in 11 vol. (1975). Vol. VI. Kyiv: Naukova dumka (in Ukr.).
Kyryliuk, O.L. (2020). Formation of the defender’s image in the conditions of information war: linguistic-cognitive aspect. Scientific journal of the Lviv State University of Life Safety “Lviv Philological Journal”, 8, 90–96 (in Ukr.).
Taranenko, O. (2023). The Russian-Ukrainian war and the Ukrainian language (preliminary observations). I. Linguistics, 3, 3–29 (in Ukr.).