Socioemotional Linguistic and Rhetorical Markers of the September 2024 Hostilities in Lebanon: Insights from Academics across Lebanese Universities
Keywords:
Critical Discourse Analysis, Displacement, Trauma, Resilience, Solidarity, Lebanese Universities
Abstract
Several theoretical frameworks examine the intricate relationship between language and socioemotional dynamics. Drawing upon Fairclough's tripartite framework of critical discourse analysis, this research case study endeavors to show how linguistic expression encapsulates the socioemotional experiences of displacement, trauma, resilience, and solidarity among university faculty impacted by the airstrikes in Lebanon in 2024. This research's main objective is to scrutinize the use of lexical choices and rhetorical strategies to articulate these emotions while reflecting social and ideological constructs in reaction to the prevailing hostilities. Data were collected from the perspectives of sixty-two instructors and staff members across thirteen Lebanese universities through a twenty-item online survey, which served as the foundation for both statistical and descriptive analysis. Furthermore, as a result, twenty-six online narrative reflection logs provided a linguistically nuanced representation of socioemotional linguistic indicators related to displacement, trauma, resilience, and solidarity, while also invoking rhetorical techniques such as similes, metaphors, hypophoras, epizeuxis, and anaphoras that signified a connection to a collective identity.
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References
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2. Chehimi, G., & Joudi, N. (2017). The need for peace education in higher education in Lebanon. In Factis Pax, 11(2), 224-247. http://www.infactispax.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/Chehimi-IFP-11.2.pdf
3. Cosic, K., Kopilas, V., & Jovanovic, T. (2024). War, emotions, mental health, and artificial intelligence. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1394045
4. Cotterell, B. (2003). Narrative control in peacebuilding. In S. Humphreys (Ed.), Narratives and the making of peace (pp. 19-33). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
5. Cricenti, C., Mari, E., Barchielli, B., Quaglieri, A., Burrai, J., Pizzo, A., D’Alessio, I., Giannini, A., Ferracuti, S., & Lausi, G. (2022). Can emotion regulation affect aggressive responses? A study on the Ukrainian–Russian conflict in a non-directly exposed sample. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(10), 6189. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106189
6. De Rivera, J., Kurrien, R., & Olsen, N. (2007). The emotional climate of nations and their culture of peace. Journal of Social Issues, 63(2), 255–271. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2007.00507.x
7. Dixon, P. (2009). ‘Hearts and minds’? British counter-insurgency from Malaya to Iraq. Journal of Strategic Studies, 32(3), 353–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390902928172
8. Eckert, P. (2006). Communities of practice. In Encyclopedia of language & linguistics (2nd ed., pp. 683-685). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-044854-2/01276-1
9. El-Maazawi, A. (2023). The power of words: Why language matters in times of war and conflict. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-words-why-language-matters-times-war-conflict-amal-r5icf/
10. Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. New York, NY: Longman.
11. Fairclough, N. (2015). Language and power (3rd ed.). Routledge.
12. Frothingham, M. B. (2023). Sapir–Whorf hypothesis (Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis). Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/sapir-whorf-hypothesis.html
13. Gay, W. C. (2007). Language, war, and peace. In M. Hellinger & A. Pauwels (Eds.), Handbook of language and communication: Diversity and change (pp. 493–522). De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110198539.3.493
14. Hamadeh, N. K. (2024). History education at wartime: Lebanon in focus. Lebanese Association for History. https://www.rewind-thinkforward.org/education-at-wartime-lebanon-in-focus
15. Hutchison, E., & Bleiker, R. (2017). Emotions, discourse and power in world politics. International Studies Review, 19(3), 501–508.
16. Irimiea, S. B. P. (2018). The survival of interactional sociolinguistics in the 21st century. European Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 3(4), 61–70.
17. Joudi, N. (2019). Gender leadership styles and linguistic practices: The case of Lebanese International University coordinators. International Journal of Innovative Research in Education, 6(2), 047–061. https://doi.org/10.18844/ijire.v6i2.4362
18. Kazak, M. Y., Karpenko, I. I., Korochenskiy, A. P., Polonskiy, A. V., Tyazhlov, Y. I., & Ushakova, S. V. (2018). Organizational convergence as the trend of modern mass media development. Amazonia Investiga, 7(14), 112–118.
19. Lindquist, K. A., MacCormack, J. K., & Shablack, H. (2015). The role of language in emotion: Predictions from psychological constructionism. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 444. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00444
20. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). 31 useful rhetorical devices: 'Simile' and 'metaphor' are just the beginning. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/rhetorical-devices-list-examples
21. Milevski, L. (2020). Battle and its emotional effect in war termination. Comparative Strategy, 39(5), 535–548. https://doi.org/10.1080/01495933.2020.1826844
22. Piotrowski, C. H., & Walker, G. R. (Eds.). (2006). War and language. Cambridge University Press.
23. Pizarro, J. J., Zumeta, L. N., Bouchat, P., Włodarczyk, A., Rimé, B., Basabe, N., Amutio, A., & Páez, D. (2022). Emotional processes, collective behavior, and social movements: A meta-analytic review of collective effervescence outcomes during collective gatherings and demonstrations. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 683. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.974683
24. Rabiah, S. (2018). Language as a tool for communication and cultural reality discloser. INA-Rxiv. https://doi.org/10.31227/osf.io/nw94m
25. Schwarzer, R. (2024). Stress, resilience, and coping resources in the context of war, terror, and migration. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 57, 101393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2024.101393
26. Slavich, G. M., Roos, L. G., Mengelkoch, S., Webb, C. A., Shattuck, E. C., Moriarity, D. P., & Alley, J. C. (2023). Social safety theory: Conceptual foundation, underlying mechanisms, and future directions. Health Psychology Review, 17(1), 5–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2023.2171900
27. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2024a). Lebanon: Flash update #28 - Escalation of hostilities in South Lebanon, as of 25 September 2024. ReliefWeb. https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/lebanon-flash-update-28-escalation-hostilities-south-lebanon-25-september-2024
28. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2024b). Lebanon: Flash update #32 - Escalation of hostilities in South Lebanon, as of 4 October 2024. ReliefWeb. https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/lebanon-flash-update-32-escalation-hostilities-lebanon-4-october-2024
29. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2024c). Lebanon: Flash update #35 - Escalation of hostilities in South Lebanon, as of 14 October 2024. ReliefWeb. https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/lebanon/lebanon-flash-update-35-escalation-hostilities-lebanon-14-october-2024
30. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2024d). Lebanon: Flash update #39 escalation of hostilities in Lebanon as of 28 October 2024. Daleel Madani. https://daleelmadani.org/sites/default/files/2024.10.28_flash_update_no._39_final.pdf
31. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2024e). Lebanon: Conflict Intensity, October 2023 - 10 October 2024. ReliefWeb.https://reliefweb.int/map/lebanon/lebanon-conflict-intensity-october-2023-10-october-2024
32. Van Dijk, T. A. (2017). Socio-cognitive discourse studies. In J. Flowerdew & J. E. Richardson (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of critical discourse studies (pp. 26–43). Routledge.
33. Volkova, E. B., Remennikova, I. A., & Vecherinina, E. A. (2021). Peculiarities of complex sentences with object clauses in the texts of mathematical works in the English and French languages. Revista EntreLinguas, 7(2), 021021. https://doi.org/10.29051/el.v7iesp.2.15147
Published
2025-04-30
How to Cite
Joudi, N. S., Ayoub, N. N., & Arnous, H. N. (2025). Socioemotional Linguistic and Rhetorical Markers of the September 2024 Hostilities in Lebanon: Insights from Academics across Lebanese Universities. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 21(11), 143. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2025.v21n11p143
Section
ESJ Humanities
Copyright (c) 2025 Nadine Sami Joudi, Nawal Nabih Ayoub, Hanan Nadim Arnous
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
