Inversion as a Mechanism of Influence in Political Communication

Abstract

In political communication, inversion is an effective tool of expressiveness that emphasizes key messages for the purpose of evoking an emotional response and building the speaker’s authority. The relevance of the study is determined by the need for a deeper understanding of the functions of inversion in times of crisis, in particular, a full-scale war in Ukraine. The aim of the study is to identify the types, functions, and effectiveness of inversion as a rhetorical device in political speeches delivered in Ukrainian, English, French, and German during 2022–2025. Public speeches by key political leaders: President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy, former US President D. Biden, current US President D. Trump, Prime Minister of Great Britain K. Starmer, President of France E. Macron, and leader of the German opposition F. Merz were used as the materials for the study.. The study is based on the content analysis of 800 speeches — 200 for each language (Ukrainian, English, French, and German). Quantitative analysis and an empirical survey of 200 respondents with different linguistic backgrounds were also used. As a result, 5 main types of inversions (the most common is verbal, 34.4%) and 4 main functions (the most common is emotional impact) were identified. The survey revealed significant interlinguistic differences in the perception of inversion constructions in political discourse. The academic novelty is the comprehensive empirical approach to the study of inversion as a cross-cultural rhetorical tool. Further research prospect is the analysis of inversions in social networks in comparison with official speeches of politicians.