DISCOURSE MARKERS IN KEMI BADENOCH’S STATEMENT ON THE WAR IN UKRAINE
Abstract: Given that the British political mainstream has always been supportive of
Ukraine and its Euro-Atlantic aspirations (Kapranov, 2016a, 2016b), the traditional
political parties in the United Kingdom (the UK) demonstrate their firm commitment to
contribute to Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war
(Brusenbauch-Meislová, 2026). In particular, the Conservative Party and its leadership
are dedicated to strengthening political, security, and humanitarian relations between
the UK and Ukraine. Against this background, it appears pertinent to examine Kemi
Badenoch’s (the leader of the Conservative Party) discourse on the war in Ukraine. Ac-
cordingly, the article involves a qualitative study that aims to identify and analyse dis-
course markers in Kemi Badenoch’s statement on the war in Ukraine delivered on 14
March 2022. The qualitative analysis reveals that she employs a range of elaborative
discourse markers in order to fine-tune and specify the main points in her statement on
the war in Ukraine. These findings are further discussed and illustrated in the article.
Key words: Discourse markers, Kemi Badenoch, political discourse, the Conservative
Party, the United Kingdom (the UK), the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine and its Euro-Atlantic aspirations (Kapranov, 2016a, 2016b), the traditional
political parties in the United Kingdom (the UK) demonstrate their firm commitment to
contribute to Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war
(Brusenbauch-Meislová, 2026). In particular, the Conservative Party and its leadership
are dedicated to strengthening political, security, and humanitarian relations between
the UK and Ukraine. Against this background, it appears pertinent to examine Kemi
Badenoch’s (the leader of the Conservative Party) discourse on the war in Ukraine. Ac-
cordingly, the article involves a qualitative study that aims to identify and analyse dis-
course markers in Kemi Badenoch’s statement on the war in Ukraine delivered on 14
March 2022. The qualitative analysis reveals that she employs a range of elaborative
discourse markers in order to fine-tune and specify the main points in her statement on
the war in Ukraine. These findings are further discussed and illustrated in the article.
Key words: Discourse markers, Kemi Badenoch, political discourse, the Conservative
Party, the United Kingdom (the UK), the war in Ukraine.
Publisert i Переяславські студії з лінгвістики та лінгводидактики, 2026
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