Semantic representation of bilateral tension between the United States and Venezuela in the international press

Abstract

This article analyzes the semantic representation of bilateral tensions between the United States and Venezuela through a qualitative study of four news reports published in El Nacional, El Tiempo, BBC, and Infobae. The main objective is to examine the linguistic and discursive resources used in media constructions of the conflict, focusing on lexical choices, semantic load, and emergent interpretative frames. The study draws on Lyons’ (1997) linguistic semantics and Van Dijk’s (2000) discourse analysis, complemented by perspectives from Karam (2005) and Santander (2011). A qualitative, documentary and analytical approach was applied to interpret explicit and implicit meanings in the texts.

Results reveal differentiated discursive patterns, including metaphors of threat, references to possible actions, defensive strategies, and oscillation between tension and diplomacy. It is concluded that the language employed by the media structures the conflict through semantic oppositions and verbal constructions that shape public understanding of an evolving geopolitical scenario