VERBALIZATION OF THE PSYCHOTRAUMA CONCEPT IN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE MEDIA DISCOURSE: A CASE STUDY OF THE TV SERIES "THE BEAR"
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/gph2026.858-859.244-257Keywords:
cognitive linguistics, mass communication, conceptual segment, nominative field, mental disorders, affective lexisAbstract
This article examines the specific features of the conceptual architecture of the PSYCHOTRAUMA concept in contemporary English-language media-cultural discourse. The relevance of the study stems from the global shift in the mass film industry from a purely entertainment-oriented paradigm to one that serves a therapeutic function, where “quality television” becomes a safe space for the verbalization and destigmatization of acute mental crises. Based on the script of the first season of the series “The Bear,” a study of the concept’s nominative field (243 units) was conducted, enabling the reconstruction of the linguistic experience of trauma in the extreme conditions of a professional environment.
The methodological framework of the study integrates three stages of interdiscursive analysis, ranging from static lexicographic norms and scientific terminology to dynamic script-based verbalization. The scenario-based structure encompasses seven lexical-thematic groups forming three macrofields: internal mental and psychosomatic states, professional abuse and kitchen chaos, as well as family dysfunction and defense mechanisms. A characteristic feature of the architectonics is the heterogeneity of the groups, in which culinary jargon (e.g., Yes Chef, fire, behind) serves to suppress pain and exercise compulsive control.
Particular attention was paid to the quantitative parameters of the nominative field, which demonstrate the dominance of affective-obscene units. It has been established that the maximum frequency level is formed by the nominative units fucked up, motherfucker, fuckin' idiot (f=64), which, in the context of chronic stress, lose their invective function, transforming into verbal markers for immediate emotional release. In contrast, the low-frequency level is represented by unique somatic metaphors of destruction (floor collapsing, delicate fuckin' ecosystem) and descriptions of extreme physiological states (trouble breathing, throwing up every day before work), which capture individual aspects of pain.
A synthesis of the results indicates a trajectory of the concept’s sequential transformation – from an abstract definition (emotional shock) and clinical objectification (PTSD, prolonged grief) to a subjective affective reality. It has been demonstrated that media-cultural discourse is the most optimal medium for reflecting the dynamics of psychological trauma, where everyday, often aggressive linguistic expression reflects an individual’s behavior in crises.
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