INSTRUMENTAL CASE COMPARISON FOR THE DESIGNATION OF NATURAL PHENOMENA IN CONTEMPORARY MILITARY DISCOURSE: A SEMANTIC-PRAGMATIC ASPECT

Abstract

The article is devoted to the semantic-pragmatic analysis of denominal comparative–assimilative adverbs represented by nominations of natural phenomena, taking into account their expressive and axiological load in contemporary military discourse. The main semantic groups of comparators within this vector have been identified: nominations of fire («like fire», «like fires», «like flame», «like a spark»); atmospheric precipitation and phenomena («like rain,» «like rains», «like a downpour», «like hail», «like thunder»); wind («like wind», «like a whirlwind», «like a storm»); and extreme natural manifestations («like a flood», «like an avalanche»). It has been established that the formation of comparative relations between military realities and natural phenomena is connected with metaphorical and associative correlations based on the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of both forces. Special attention is paid to the comparison between the perceptions of these phenomena fixed in the symbolic worldview and their modern interpretation in military reality. The study emphasizes the reinterpretation of comparators whose meanings are associated with religious beliefs and rooted in Biblical motifs, which constitutes one of the markers of the Ukrainian mentality. It has been determined that the analyzed objects of comparison function as representers of the scale of destructive processes, as instruments for verbalizing the psycho-emotional state of those affected by military actions, and as means of expressing the intention of revenge and resilience.