The Language of Fear

'Cap's book establishes Proximization Theory firmly as a central methodological and theoretical focus of Critical Discourse Analysis. It provides a coherent framework and exemplary case studies for the analysis of persuasion through intimidation, which go far beyond traditional approaches to this crucial area of public discourse. It is essential reading not just for linguists but also for psychologists and social and political scientists.' --^Andreas Musolff, Professor, University of East Anglia, UK This book investigates linguistic strategies of threat construction and fear generation in contemporary public communication, including state political discourse as well as non-governmental, media and institutional discourses. It describes the ways in which the construction of closeness and remoteness can be manipulated in the public sphere and bound up with fear, security and conflict.^ Featuring a series of case studies in different domains, from presidential speeches to environmental discourse, it demonstrates how political and organizational leaders enforce the imminence of an outside threat to claim legitimization of preventive policies. It reveals that the best legitimization effe