Dehumanization as a Tactic of Discrediting: Lexical-Semantic Means of Depriving Human Status

The relevance of the research presented in this article is due to the need for a systematic description of the linguistic means by which dehumanization – a rhetorical tactic aimed at depriving an object of human status – is implemented in public discourse. In the context of legal regulation of liability for discrediting (Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation), the identification of clear linguistic markers of dehumanization acquires both theoretical and applied significance. Despite existing works on "hate speech," a systematic classification of lexical-semantic means of dehumanization in relation to the discourse of discrediting has been absent until now, which determined the problem field of this study. The aim of the article is to identify and systematize the lexical-semantic means of dehumanization as a rhetorical tactic of discrediting. The research material includes texts of internet comments and publications that have undergone linguistic examination in cases of discrediting, as well as materials from open sources containing lexical-semantic markers of dehumanization. The study employs methods of semantic and contextual analysis, as well as elements of quantitative analysis to determine the frequency of various types of dehumanization. The results of the study allowed us to identify and systematize the main lexical-semantic means of dehumanization used in the discourse of discrediting. It has been established that the most frequent type is object-based (mechanistic) dehumanization, represented by lexemes meaning inanimate object, waste, or expendable material. The zoomorphic type is less frequent than the object-based type and performs a predominantly emotion-marking function. Pathomorphic and demonic types are less common and are characteristic of discourse with a pronounced ideological component. The theoretical significance lies in the development of a systematic classification of lexical-semantic means of dehumanization. The practical significance is associated with the possibility of using the identified criteria as diagnostic material in the production of forensic linguistic examination.