POLITICAL MEDIA DISCOURSE: SEMANTIC MANIPULATION THROUGH PARALINGUISTICS

Abstract

This article explores how paralinguistic features influence the way meaning is interpreted in political media discourse. It argues that meaning is not created by language alone, but emerges through the interaction between spoken words and non-verbal elements such as intonation, gestures, pauses, and visual presentation. By drawing on concepts from semantics, pragmatics, and multimodal discourse analysis, the study shows that these paralinguistic cues play an important role in shaping how messages are understood by audiences. In particular, they contribute to framing political messages and guiding viewers’ perceptions beyond the literal content of speech.