Political Language and Discourse: Western and Russian Perspectives

This article undertakes a comparative examination of the evolution and defining characteristics of political language studies within Western and Russian academic traditions. It foregrounds Harold Lasswell’s seminal contributions, positioning him as a foundational figure whose work reconceptualized language as an instrument of political power rather than a neutral medium of exchange. In Western scholarship, political discourse analysis has emerged as a multidisciplinary enterprise, increasingly informed by critical discourse analysis (CDA), which interrogates the latent power structures encoded in linguistic practices. By contrast, the Russian approach—still in a developmental phase—remains shaped by the ideological and methodological legacy of Soviet linguistics, albeit with growing receptivity to Western theoretical paradigms. Particular attention is devoted to the rhetorical function of metaphor in totalitarian discourse, illustrating how symbolic language operates as a vehicle of ideological reinforcement within Soviet and analogous regimes. Through a synthesis of Western and post-Soviet perspectives, the article advocates for a more integrative global framework for the study of political discourse.