LINGUO-COGNITIVE MECHANISMS FOR THE FORMATION OF A SCIENTIFIC MYTH IN POPULAR SCIENCE DISCOURSE: TO THE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2022-4-96-106
Introduction. The article presents an analysis of the situation in the field of modern popular science journalism and associated with multiple formats of popularization of scientific knowledge, not all of which correctly represent it. This situation contributes to the formation of so-called scientific myths, which often have a strong influence on the attitude of society towards science and scientists. Aim and objectives. The purpose of this article is to present an analysis of the situation in modern popular science journalism and to identify ways to study the linguocognitive mechanisms of the formation of scientific myth in popular science discourse. Material and methods. The methodological model of the analysis of popular science discourse is proposed to be built on a combination of the procedure for analyzing discourse on the parameters of communicative variables and a cognitive approach. As cognitive models, the following will be considered: a) conceptual frame; b) conceptual metaphor and metonymy; c) idealized cognitive model. The research material of the Russian-language popular science discourse will be texts presented by videos, podcasts and articles on specialized Internet resources. Arrays of comments from popular science videos will be used as a research material for the personality of the consumer of popular science content. Conclusion. Modern scientists are trying to change this situation and active discussions are being held within the popularizing community in order to counteract the formation of proselytizing traits (which are one of the main characteristics of this community, which, however, is not recognized by all popularizers of science). A scientific myth arises as a result of an attempt by a layman to understand a complex concept in the conditions of information saturation and the accelerating pace of life, which requires a reduction in the time needed to comprehend incoming information, a concept that the popularizer, in order to facilitate understanding, consciously simplifies by applying various artistic techniques (in particular, metaphors, rhetorical questions, analogies, hyperbole). The process of translation of scientific knowledge is a complex multicomponent system, which is significantly influenced by both social (type of culture, education, critical thinking and information skills, cognitive errors) and cognitive-discursive (presentation format, linguocognitive mechanisms of information modeling) factors. Due to the above-mentioned reasons, it becomes necessary to identify and study the linguocognitive mechanisms of the formation of a scientific myth.
Keywords: popularization of science, popular science discourse, scientific myth, popularizer of science
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Issue: 4, 2022
Series of issue: Issue 4
Rubric: THEORETICAL AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS
Pages: 96 — 106
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