Mediation vs manipulation in terms of cognitive linguistics

The area of cognitive mediation is attracting growing attention because of its legitimate and morally acknowledged medium of influencing cognition. As we stated earlier, mediation is a complex phenomenon of a transdiscursive nature, which comprises heterogeneous elements, such as scientific and applied areas, intermediary activities of different kinds, philosophy and methodology, methods and techniques, knowledge transfer and interaction, etc. [Манжула, Исаева, 2020; Isaeva, Crawford, 2022; Isaeva, Manzhula, Baiburova, 2022]. However, it has not yet been established whether mediation differs from manipulation. The latter concept has gained a somewhat negative connotation as far as cognitive manipulation is concerned. This work explores the relationship between these two terms. The present study is expected to contribute to our understanding of mediation in its moral dimension.

In this paper, we will maintain our vision of linguistic mediation as described in [Исаева, 2021], including or connected with solving communication problems, involving the third-party, language facilitation, translation within one language, translation from one language to another, text processing, conceptual/cognitive facilitation, cultural moderation, and using special linguistic tools. In this article, however, we will concentrate on the term cognitive manipulation as opposed to cognitive mediation.

To start with, we consider the etymology of both terms. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the term mediation goes back to the late 14th-century word mediacioun, i.e. “intervention, agency or action as a mediator or intermediary”, which derives from the medieval Latin mediationem (nominative mediatio), i.e. “a division in the middle”, noun of action from the past-participle stem of Latin mediare – “to halve; to be in the middle”, from medius “middle” [Etymonline]. Thus, the central seme of the term is “being in the middle of something”.

As for the term manipulation, it had derived by 1730 from “a method of digging ore”, from French manipulation, from manipule, i.e. “handful” (a pharmacists’ measure), from Latin manipulus “handful, sheaf, bundle”, from manus “hand” and plere “to fill”. Sense of “skilful handling of objects” is attested by 1826; extended 1828 to “handling or managing of persons”, especially to one’s own advantage [Etymonline]. Thus, the key semes of the term manipulation are “skillfulness”, “handling”, or “managing”, and “taking advantage”.