Author’s name:
Аleksandra А. Loginova, Valeriy M. Bukharov – Linguistics University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Abstract:
This paper examines the functional-pragmatic features of the contemporary German speech act of condolence in the context of terrorist attacks. The relevance of this topic is underscored by the growing need to understand the linguistic mechanisms that facilitate communication under conditions of social upheaval and collective trauma. The study aims to describe the pragmatic conditions, linguistic resources, and functional potential of this type of condolence, which differs substantially from expressions of sympathy in situations of personal loss or natural disaster. The analysis is based on texts drawn from German-language media that contain condolence statements issued by public officials in response to terrorist attacks. The study employs methods of continuous sampling, contextual analysis, and componential analysis, enabling the identification and classification of the most frequent speech strategies and linguistic means used to convey the speaker’s communicative intent. The findings demonstrate that condolence with the propositional content “terrorist attack” constitutes a complex, polyfunctional phenomenon. From a pragmatic perspective, such condolence functions as a powerful performative act whose illocutionary force extends beyond the expression of sympathy. It performs significant social actions, including articulating moral resistance to terrorism, establishing emotional solidarity with the public, and facilitating collective “recovery” by offering a discursive framework for processing shared trauma. The functional analysis reveals a dialectical unity of several interrelated functions: ritual, expressive, socio-psychological, ethical, appellative, representational, and phatic. It is argued that the inclusion of the propositional content “terrorist attack” transforms the act of con-dolence from a private expression of empathy into a public, institutionally conditioned discursive practice aimed at managing and constructing social reality. Future research may focus on comparative analyses of condolence strategies across different political cultures and in response to other types of disasters. Such studies could help identify both culture-specific patterns and universal features of condolence as a speech act.
| Section | LANGUAGE AND CULTURE |
| DOI: | 10.47388/2072-3490/lunn2025-72-4-91-106 |
| Downloads | 1369 |
| Key words | speech act; speech act of condolence; illocution; propositional content; terrorist attack; pragmatic linguistics |