VARIETIES AND MARKERS OF (DE)LEGITIMIZATION BY ANALOGY IN THE NEWS

The article is devoted to the specifics of analogy, which is used in news texts to (de)legitimize the actions of certain people or institutions. It has been specified that the basis of this type of (de)legitimization is the projection of the properties (causes/consequences/conditions, etc.) of one (in)correct phenomenon (usually an action) onto another, contradictory one, in order to represent it as (il)legitimate. Since the differential feature of analogy is the establishment of a relationship of similarity, the definition of this technique in T. van Leeuwen's methodology has been clarified – it includes examples of actual analogy, comparison, and metaphor. The analysis confirmed that an analogy is more often used for delegitimization than legitimation. Based on the material of one hundred news blocks devoted to debatable decisions (for the period June 2020 – May 2021), analysis reveals that each of these types of analogy performs different functions. In particular, the article singles out the methods of (de)legitimization by metaphor and comparison, as well as cases when comparison can strengthen or weaken delegitimization. It is summarized how the historical analogy can cause the representation of action as (il)legitimate and reinforce or neutralize accusations (by presenting a similar situation when fears were not justified or when the source of criticism was biased). Also, normalization by analogy is described, which is used for legitimization and weakening of delegitimization. The article demonstrates how the violation of the actual analogy, which shows double standards, is used to criticize the opponents. Lexical and syntactic markers of types of analogy are identified and classified. In addition, it is outlined how different types of legitimization, in particular, personal authority and authority of conformity, interact with an analogy. The article emphasizes that the ability to frame events in a specific way provides an analogy with significant potential for manipulation. This is extremely evident when it is used to neutralize opponents' accusations.