VERBAL MEANS OF INFORMATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCE IN CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL MEDIA DISCOURSE (BASED ON PORTUGUESE MEDIA MATERIALS)

Vlasova Lidia Konstantinovna

The article analyzes verbal means of information and psychological influence in contemporary political media discourse, drawing on materials from Portuguese media outlets (2024–2025) covering foreign policy and international relations. The methodological framework of the study is based on the principles of media linguistics and discourse analysis applied to the investigation of how linguistic means function in political media discourse. To systematize the empirical material, the study employs R.I. Zaripov’s classification of levels of information and psychological influence. The analysis demonstrates that at the initial level neutral official-bureaucratic linguistic means prevail, producing an effect of factuality and institutional objectivity, whereas at subsequent levels evaluative and expressive markedness increases through metaphorical and historically conditioned nominations. At the highest levels, the discourse is characterized by the dominance of institutionally marked vocabulary and official forms of linguistic expression that consolidate restrictions on access to alternative sources of information. The findings make it possible to identify regularities in the functioning of verbal means of influence and to clarify their role in shaping interpretations and evaluative attitudes of the mass audience.

Keywords:political media discourse, information and psychological influence, verbal means, evaluative vocabulary, discourse analysis, Portuguese media.