Verbal component types in conflict-generating Internet-memes: frequency and specificity

Abstract

This article continues the series of studies devoted to the current problem of conflict Internet communication, the features of conflict-generating polycode texts and the issues of verbal and iconic representation of knowledge in their structure. In this regard, the primary goal is to establish the frequency of actualization of verbal component types used in the structure of graphic-verbal conflict polycode texts (Internet memes) of xenophobic nature, and their specificity in the representation of the content within the framework of the cognitive matrix “Friend or Foe”. The methods of content analysis, comparative analysis and quantification analysis were used to study the features of the verbal components and the language units in the considered polycode texts. It was determined that the most frequent verbal component types are “comment/statement”, “instruction”, “word/phrase-identifier”, less frequent are “dialogue situation”, “quote”, “definition of a concept”, “question/reflection”, “poetic text”. We paid attention to differences in the representation of knowledge and transmitted meanings of conflict nature by means of these types of verbal component. The results of the research may be applied in further studies devoted to the problem of verbal and iconic components correlating in polycode texts.