Article

Name: On the problems of understanding and interpreting the discourse of flattery

Authors: Gutareva N.Yu.

Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russian Federation

In the section Linguistics

Abstract: Some linguists consider discourse as only an interactive way of speech interaction, otherwise to text usually belonging to one author that pulls together this opposition with a traditional opposition dialogue and monologue. The last differentiation is conditional enough because the most natural implication of language activity one should consider a dialogue. In many functionally-oriented investigations there is a tendency to opposi-tion discourse and text by a number of opposite criteria: functionality – structural formula, process – product, dynamism – static character, urgency – virtuality. Accordingly we can differ structural text as a product and functional discourse as a process. Thus we offer to consider by the term «flattery discourse» the following: flattery discourse – a complicated communicative phenomenon having in its basis intentional properties of a sender, showing in obsequious eulogy, distortion of information about an addressee with a mercenary motive by means of special language means, answering aims and tasks of communication (one communicative intention). Sometimes flattery discourse can be considered as a compromise formation, as a result of coordination between the interest of a sender and an addressee. Flattery discourse has three basic components: 1) informative (modus vivendi); 2) estimated; 3) pragmatical. We have found out that characteristic features of flattery discourse are: concrete purposefulness at an addressee, pragmaticness, mercenary, insincerity, obvious exaggeration, desire to manipulate an object of flattery.

Keywords: flattery discourse, object of flattery, initiator of flattery, interaction, intentions, presuppositions, verification

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