IMPLICIT PERSUASION IN EU-RELATED MEDIA-POLITICAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

This article analyses implicit persuasion in EU-related media-political discourse as a cognitive-pragmatic process based on background knowledge. The study examines how idioms, mythologically based references and historical allusions guide the addressee’s interpretation of political events without direct evaluative pressure. The analysis focuses on the mythologically based expression Achilles’ heel, the historical allusion Marshall Plan, and the idiom kicking the can down the road. These units connect current political issues with cultural and historical associations and direct interpretation toward vulnerability, legitimacy or avoidance of responsibility. The article argues that implicit persuasion in EU-related media discourse often operates not through open argumentation, but through meanings already available to the audience.