It would be great if computers could detect fake news and disinformation automatically and neatly classify information into true and false. But is this a realistic task? In their recent book The Language of Fake News (Cambridge University Press, series "Elements in Forensic Linguistics"), Jack Grieve and Helena Woodfield argue that it is possible to … Continue reading Is there the Language of Disinformation?
Tag: Ukraine
A negative fact: Putin’s silence about attacks on Russian territory
https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1664626520667611136 In one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories, Sherlock Holmes used a "negative fact" to solve a mystery - the fact that a watchdog did not bark when a prize-winning racehorse was stolen. The Scotland Yard detective: Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?Holmes: To the … Continue reading A negative fact: Putin’s silence about attacks on Russian territory
Another Victory Day without a victory
On May 9 Russia celebrated Victory Day. As in 2022, there were no glorious victories to report. In contrast to the usual grand shows advertising the country’s military power, this year’s parade seemed to have the motto “less is more”. The flypast was cancelled. The number of troops was modest. A lone Soviet T-34 tank … Continue reading Another Victory Day without a victory
Can you spot a difference? Russian propaganda wars against Georgia and Ukraine
The military and propaganda tactics Russia used in the war against Georgia in 2008 are eerily similar to the ones it uses in the war against Ukraine. There are a few important lessons we can learn from those events.
Top 10 weirdest messages from Putin in 2022
No doubt, it has been a crazy year. In February, Russia invaded Ukraine. Thousands of people have died, including children. Millions had to flee. Those who stay are fighting with cold and darkness. There is something carnivalesque about this parade of obscene, idiotic cruelty displayed by Russians. The mask of civilisation has fallen, and all … Continue reading Top 10 weirdest messages from Putin in 2022
A “special grammatical operation”: what Putin’s use of cases reveals
Putin can avoid certain words, but it is more difficult to avoid grammar. In a pioneering study, Laura Janda et al. show how Putin's use of case forms of Russia, Ukraine and NATO is different from 'normal' language. My additional analyses reveal that Putin's use of cases with Russia and Ukraine has been stable over the years. A missed opportunity to discover what he was really thinking all this time?
The “dirty bomb” and a typology of lies in Russian propaganda
Russian propaganda uses lies of different complexity. I discuss the most recent message by Shoigu and others about Ukraine's plans to use a "dirty bomb". This message is very worrying. It is also an interesting example of recursion, suggesting that the Russian propaganda is getting more and more sophisticated, perhaps to compensate for the lack of military successes.
“This is not a bluff”: What Putin says about nuclear weapons
We have never been so close to a nuclear war since the Caribbean crisis. I examined the mentions of nuclear weapons in Putin's speeches and found that nuclear threats are a recent thing. Their purpose is to force Ukraine and the West to negotiate with Russia. And this gives us some hope...
Putin declares partial mobilisation
In Putin's address where he announces a "partial" mobilisation, he tries to maximize the stakes for Russia and minimize the costs of this move for ordinary Russians. But the stakes are high first and foremost for Putin himself.
Putin’s reaction to Ukraine’s counter-offensive
After Ukraine's successful counter-offensive near Kharkiv, Putin pretends that nothing serious has happened. A little study in lexical semantics.
Text Grinder 