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An Analysis of Conflict Discourse in Season 3 of Succession from the Perspective of Proximization Theory

Author(s)

Jinyue Li, Xiuwen Li*

Affiliation(s)

School of Foreign Languages, Changchun University of Technology, Changchun, Jilin, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

This paper takes the conflict discourse in the third season of the American TV series Succession as its research object, employs Piotr Cap’s Proximization Theory as the analytical framework, and adopts a qualitative research method to explore how the characters in the drama use proximization strategies to construct discursive opposition amidst power struggles and family crises, as well as to analyze their pragmatic functions. The study finds that the characters frequently apply spatial, temporal and axiological proximization strategies to frame their opponents as an imminent and dangerous “external threat”, so as to strengthen their own positions, strive for the right to speak and achieve communicative goals. The use of proximization strategies not only drives the plot forward but also profoundly reveals the dynamic power relations among characters and participates in constructing the identities of the parties involved in the conflict.This study expands the application scope of Proximization Theory from political discourse to TV drama discourse, verifying the strong explanatory power of this theory in analyzing conflict discourse within families and businesses, and enriches the research approaches of critical discourse analysis and pragmatics. Meanwhile, it profoundly demonstrates the role of language in interpersonal conflicts and organizational power struggles in real society, which is of great significance for understanding the construction of power discourse and its social impact.

Keywords

Proximization Theory; Conflict Discourse; Succession; Discourse Analysis

References

[1]Piotr Cap. Towards the proximization model of the analysis of legitimization in political discourse. Journal of Pragmatics, 2007, 40(1):17-41. [2]Piotr Cap. Proximization:The pragmatics of symbolic distance crossing. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2013. [3]Christopher Hart. Critical Discourse Analysis and Cognitive Science. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. [4]Pan Dong. Proximization: A New Approach to Critical Discourse Analysis. Shandong Foreign Language Teaching, 2017, 38(04): 9-16. [5]Wu Jianguo, Lin Jinrong, Li Yi. A New Method of Critical Discourse Analysis— Proximization. Journal of Foreign Languages, 2016, 39(05):75-82. [6]Paul Chilton. Analysing Political Discourse: Theory and Practice. Taylor and Francis, 2004.