«ORCS» as a Physicality Concept in Media Reality against the Background of Russian Invasion of Ukraine

V. Babenko

Abstract


Objective of the study – consider the symbolic coding of the physicality under the concept of an «orc» as a communicative practice of mass media during the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Methods of the study. In the process of the study, were used methods of systematization of open data sources, analysis, and interpretation. Due to the usage of the comparative-historical analysis, a transformation of the communicative tradition of usage of the «orc» lexem was discovered in mass media discourse from 2013 to 2022.

Results. The usage of the «orc» lexem in several contexts in mass media was studied: as a denomination of Russian militaries and citizens of the Russian Federation, which was established by the Ukrainian segment of media reality, and as a self-denomination of residents of the Russian Federation. The usage potential of this lexem under the communicative strategies of the information warfare was outlined.

The «orc» concept as a physicality tool in symbolic codes of the informational landscape was considered. The study determines in which was its prominent physical imagery in communication forms worldview filters of perception of the information.

The introduced concepts are evaluated. A custom view on the ethic relevance of the usage of the «orc» lexem in mass media is provided. Assumptions regarding the further perspective of this language practice are voiced out.

Novelty. Mass media remain the principal tool of representation of new meanings in the symbolic coding of the events that take place during the Russo-Ukrainian War. Messages that are fixed in this way have become the object of studying not only in scientific investigations of social communications, but also of linguistics and media psychology. The analysis of popularity of the «orc» concept in mass media and meme culture in Ukrainian journalism studies has received single episodes of attention. Apart from this, separate research works contained value judgement of the ethic problems of this communicative practice, which fact narrows down the understanding of its cultural phenomenon.

Practical significance. The results of this research can be used in the studies dedicated to media awareness, hate speech in mass media and memes (the approach that researches functionality of memes as entities of cultural information). also, the study may be interesting to practical journalists as a means of studying the impact of emotional-imaginative content on their audience.

Key words: full-scale war, Russo-Ukrainian War, orcs, mass media, mass media means, media reality, image of the enemy, physicality, meme, visual image.


References


Grabovskiy, S. Vyavlyaetsya, orky – tse samonazva rosiyan [As appears, orcs is a self-determination of the Russians]. Glavkom. Retrieved from https://glavcom.ua/columns/ sgrabovskiy/viyavlyajetsya-orki-ce-samonazva-rosiyan-836439.html [in Ukrainian].

Gritsenko, S. (2022). Movni innovatsiyi rosiysko-ukrayinskoyi viyny 2022 roku [Language innovations of the Russi-Ukrainian War of 2022]. Literaturoznavstvo. Movoznavstvo. Folkloristi-ka, 2, 9–13 [in Ukrainian].

Gubina, A. M., Kiselyuk, N. P., & Martinyuk, A. P. (2022). Lingvotoksychnist neologizmiv u suchasnyh realiyah zasobiv masovoyi informatsiyi [Linguistic toxicity of neologisms in the modern reality of mass media means]. Akademichni studiyi. Seriia: Humanitarni nauky, 1, 232–239 [in Ukrainian].

Dedyulina, O. Chomu rosiyskih okupantiv v Ukrayini nazivayut orkamy [Why Russian occupants in Ukraine are named orcs]. Vgorode. Retrieved from https://lviv.vgorode.ua/news/sobytyia/ a1200980-chomu-rosijskikh-okupantiv-v-ukrajini-nazivajut-orkami [in Ukrainian].

Denysenko, L. Ya pripinila nazivaty yih «orkamy». [I have stopped calling them «orcs»]. Suspilne Kultura. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdxwoUVzuAk [in Ukrainian].

Denysenko, L. Pro tolerantnist u sotsmerezhah pid chas viyny: pysmennytsya Larysa Denysenko [About tolerance in social networks during the war: writer Larysa Denysenko]. Marie Claire. Retrieved from https://marieclaire.ua/uk/obshhestvo/644956 [in Ukrainian].

Drobych, A. Znevaga z maloyi litery [Lowercase disdain]. Ukrayinska pravda. Retrieved from https://www.pravda.com.ua/columns/2022/05/15/7346243/ [in Ukrainian].

Kornyev, A. Orky z Mordora ta folklor pid chas viyny [Orcs from Mordor and folklore during the war]. Lyuk. Retrieved from https://lyuk.media/behind-city/mordor-orcs/ [in Ukrainian].

Matsyshyna, I. V. (2022). Homo sacer ta vyklyk subyektnosti «voroga» v umovah rosiysko-ukrayinskoyi viyny [Homo sacer and the challenge of the «enemy’s» subjectivity under the conditions of the Russo-Ukrainian War]. Politychne zhyttya, 2, 15–22 [in Ukrainian].

Oberezhno, orky: hto tse taki i chomu tak nazyvayut rosiyskih okupantiv [Watch out for orcs: who they are and why Russian occupants are called thus]. Retrieved from https://ranok.ictv.ua/ua/ 2022/05/29/oberezhno-orki-hto-tse-taki-i-chomu-tak-nazivayut-rosijskih-okupantiv/# [in Ukrainian].

Okupanty vzhe nazyvayut sebe «orkamy» i hochut shchob zamist nyh voyuvav Putin [Occupants already call themselves ‘orcs’ and want Putin to fight instead of them]. Defense Express. Retrieved from https://defence-ua.com/news/okupanti_vzhe_nazivajut_sebe_orkami_i_hochut_ schob_zamist_nih_vojuvav_putin-7367.html [in Ukrainian].

Pecherskiy, A. Rashisty chy orky? Yak krashche nazyvaty okupantiv [Ruscists or orcs? How better to name the occupants]. ArmiyaInform. Retrieved from https://armyinform.com.ua/ 2022/06/17/rashysty-chy-orky-yak-krashhe-nazyvaty-okupantiv/ [in Ukrainian].

Pityk, A,. & Pityk, K. (2022). Pysaly pro orkiv, a vyshlo pro rosiyan: chomu fenteziyni viyny naspravdi pro realnist [Was written about orcs and turned out to be about the Russians: why fantasy wars are in truth about reality]. Chytomo. Retrieved from https://chytomo.com/pysaly-pro-orkiv-a-vyjshlo-pro-rosiian-chomu-fentezijni-vijny-naspravdi-pro-realnist/ [in Ukrainian].

Rekomendatsiyi Komisiyi z zhurnalistskoyi etyty shchodo vzhyvannya stylistychno zabarvlennoyi leksyky v zhurnalistskyh materialah pro viynu [Recommendations of the Commission on Journalistic Ethics regarding the usage of stylistically marked vocabulary in journalistic materials about the war]. Retrieved from https://cje.org.ua/statements/rekomendatsii-komisii-z-zhurnalistskoi-etyky-shchodo-vzhyvannia-stylistychno-zabarvlenoi-leksyky-v-zhurnalistskykh-materialakh-pro-viynu/ [in Ukrainian].

Rogova, T. A. (2022). Suchasna voyenna leksika u televiziynomu efiri. Suspilstvo i osobystist u suchasnomu komunikatsiynomu diskursi: materialy IV Vseukrayinskoyi naukovo-praktychnoyi konferentsiyi (Zaporizhzhya, 2 November 2022) [Up-to-date military lexics in television broad-casts. Society and personality in the contemporary communicative discourse: proceedings of the IV All-Ukrainian scientific-practical conference (Zaporizhzhya, 2 November 2022)]. Zaporizhzhya,

–176 [in Ukrainian].

Slyusarevskiy, M. M. (ed.) (2022). Terminologichny slovnyk rosiysko-ukrayinskoyi viyny [Terminological dictionary of the Russo-Ukrainian War]. Kyiv: Institute of Social and Political Psychology, National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine [in Ukrainian].

Cherednyk, L. A. (2022). Diyalnist ukrayinskyh masmedia pid chas rosiysko-ukrayinskoyi viyny. [Activities of ukrainian mass media during the Russo-Ukrainian War]. Bibliotekoznavstvo. Dokumentoznavstvo. Informologiya, 2, 75–81 [in Ukrainian].

Chernyavska, L. V. (2022). Transformatsiya mediarealnosti v umovah viyny v Ukrayini [Transformation of media reality under the conditions of the war in Ukraine]. Derzhava ta rehiony. Seriia: Sotsialni komunikatsii, 2, 78–85 [in Ukrainian].

Bezborodova, N. (2016). Maidan on Facebook: Sensitive, Expressive and Interpretative Protest Lore. (Candidate’s thesis). Retrieved from https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/ea21f848-0b41-45f1-b715-4823d55022b5/view/3d8f7361-f414-47ad-a491-c9d9016df07f/Bezborodova_Nataliya_201604_MA.pdf [in English].

Forostyna, О. (2015). Poaching, simmering, and boiling: The declining relevance of identity discourse in Ukraine. What does Ukraine think? ECFR, 25–33. Retrieved from https://willzuzak.ca/ cl/putin/Wilson20150521WhatDoesUkraineThink.pdf [in English].

MacLachlan, C. (2022). Why Are Ukrainians Calling Russian Invaders «Orcs»? The Spectator. Retrieved from https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-are-ukrainians-calling-russian-invaders-orcs/ [in English].

Z-svastyka u orkiv «Volodarya Persniv» – teper ofitsiyno! Oglyad 5+6 seriy 1-go sezonu [Orcs from «The Lord of the Rings» have Z-swastika – now officially! Review of 5+6 episodes of season 1]. Elgato. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1f1hd O06mc&t=1s [in Ukrainian].




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.32840/cpu2219-8741/2022.4(52).17

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Since 2013, all electronic versions of the journal are stored in the National Library of Ukraine named after VI Vernadsky of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and presented on the portal in the information resource "Scientific Periodicals of Ukraine".

Indexing of the journal in scientometric databases:

The publication is indexed by Citefactor: 2019/2020: 4,54.

The journal is indexed by Google Scholar.

In 2020, the journal was included in the Index Copernicus.

The journal is indexed by Innospace Scientific Journal Impact Factor (SJIF): 2016: 5,899, 2017: 6,435, 2018: 7,037, 2019: 7,431

From 2020, the collection is indexed by ResearchBib.

Journal included in the PKP Index.