VARIABILITY OF MENTAL REPRESENTATIONS OF VALUES IN ARGUMENTATION STRATEGIES: DEMOCRACY IN AMERICAN CULTURE

VARIABILITY OF MENTAL REPRESENTATIONS OF VALUES IN ARGUMENTATION STRATEGIES: DEMOCRACY IN AMERICAN CULTURE

Author:  E.V. Troshchenkova

Affiliation:  St.Petersburg State University

Abstract: 
The article discusses the issue of such complex values as Democracy, inpartu-cular how variation in their mental representations within the members of a cultural community influences argumentation strategies in political discourse. The results of a psycholinguistic study of value components as they are viewed by different groups of American respondents and the analysis of on-line comments by newspaper readers allow showing how ideas about Democracy function to support group identity or, otherwise, distinguish one group from another. The way this value is used in dis-course to criticize political opponents is shown.

Keywords:  complex value, psycholinguistic experiment, argumentation strategy, democracy, political discourse, mental representation