Description
Politics, Lies and Conspiracy Theories: A Cognitive Linguistic Perspective shows how language influences mechanisms of cognition, perception, and belief, and by extension its power to manipulate thoughts and beliefs.
This exciting and original work is the first to apply cognitive linguistics to the analysis of political lies and conspiracy theories, both of which have flourished in the internet age and which many argue are threatening democracy. It unravels the verbal mechanisms that make these "different truths" so effective and proliferative, dissecting the verbal structures (metaphor, irony, connotative implications, etc.) of a variety of real-life cases concerning politicians, conspiracy theorists, and influencers. Marcel Danesi goes on to demonstrate how these linguistic structures "switch on" or "switch off" alternative mind worlds.
This book is essential reading for students of cognitive linguistics and will enrich the studies of any student or researcher in language and linguistics more broadly, as well as discourse analysis, rhetoric, or political science.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Lies and Conspiracy Theories
Prologue
Lies and Lying
Lies and Hate Speech
Conspiracy Theories
Metaphor and Deception
Epilogue
2. Deconstructing Political Lies
Prologue
Conceptual Metaphors
Metaphorical Framing
Politically Motivated Lies
The Korzybski Effect
Epilogue
3. Da Vinci Code Effects
Prologue
Conspiracy Thinking
Conspiracy Theories
Mind Control
Cognitive Dissonance
Epilogue
4. Fake News and Pseudo-Events
Prologue
Fake News
Disinformation
Pseudo-Events
Epilogue
5. Mythic Lies
Prologue
Mythologies
Alternative History
Central Metaphors
Epilogue
6. Channels of Spread
Prologue
The Spoken and Written Word
Social Media
Epilogue
7. The Cognitive Linguistic Perspective
Prologue
The Central Problem
Neural Circuitry
Turning the Switch Off
Epilogue
References
Index
