METAPHORICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE CONCEPT DEFEAT IN MODERN ENGLISH (BASED ON WORLD LEADERS' SPEECHES ON RUSSIANUKRAINIAN WAR)

Abstract

This article examines the metaphorical representation of the concept of DEFEAT in contemporary English, based on speeches by world leaders concerning the Russian-Ukrainian war. The aim of the study was to identify and analyse key metaphorical models through which the concept of DEFEAT is interpreted in the context of Englishlanguage political discourse. The relevance of this work stems from the growing interest in linguistics regarding linguistic strategies in the process of shaping reality during military conflicts, as well as the lack of research on the topic of the metaphorical representation of the concept of DEFEAT. The methodology is based on the theory of conceptual metaphor proposed by G. Lakoff and M. Johnson, as well as contextual and lexical-semantic analysis. The research materials include speeches by world leaders such as US President Joe Biden, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The analysis identified six main metaphorical models: ‘defeat is darkness/night’, realised through the antitheses of light/darkness and allies of light/allies of darkness; ‘defeat is strategic failure’, reflecting the image of a miscalculation or an unachieved goal; ‘defeat is the end of the road’; ‘defeat is physical collapse’, verbalised using predicates such as ‘collapse’, ‘fracture’ and ‘divide’; ‘defeat is an adversary’; ‘defeat is a burden’. The article demonstrates that metaphor is not merely a literary device, but also an effective mechanism for understanding and shaping perceptions of defeat within the context of crisis discourse. The use of metaphors contributes to legitimising support for Ukraine, strengthening social cohesion among democratic states, and shaping a negative image of the aggressor as one destined to inevitably collapse.