Authors’ names:
- Lyudmila A. Brusenskaya – Rostov State University of Economics, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- Alena R. Kotaeva – South Ossetian State University named after A. A. Tibilov, Beslan, South Ossetia
Abstract:
Etiquette formulas in different languages reflect cultural stereotypes which serve to harmonize verbal interactions of communicants, seeking to make communication more comfortable and to eliminate the potential for conflict as much as possible. Sometimes, however, one comes across instances of enantiosemy: cases where etiquette formulas acquire meanings opposite to the original ones, thus becoming a means of expressing irony, sarcasm, even direct hostility. As ritual-ized speech act, etiquette is especially susceptible to changes in pragmatic co-meanings. Mastering etiquette norms is part of a large and complex process of familiarization with a specific speech culture, and an important element here is taking into consideration such radical changes in the pragmatics of etiquette forms. Even minor changes in etiquette clichés prove significant: they can radically change the meaning of a statement and lead to enantiosemy. Due to a number of social reasons, the Russian etiquette experience yet another seismic change in the post-perestroika period. For instance, generally accepted appeals to strangers disappeared and were replaced by words of apology, and even though there was some restoration of social class-based appeals used before the Socialist Revolution of 1917, there was no full return to pre-Communist norms. Moreover, these appeals a acquired an ironic modality. Currently, when choosing an etiquette formula, one must to keep in mind that, during any transition period, established etiquette formulas often demonstrate instances of enantiosemy, when an etiquette cliché turns from a polite expression into a sign of malevolence, irony, or even enmity. The article is based on the material of modern media texts where enantiosemy of etiquette formulas is present. Using the cognitive-communicative approach, functional-pragmatic analysis, and sociolinguistic methodology, the article studies the conditions of such enantiosemy, and analyses typical cases in special textual use of etiquette formulas in their indirect function, when they pass from the “language field of benevolence” into the language of enmity. The article attempts to systematize such facts and explain the conditions and causes of enantiosemy of etiquette clichés, when they turn into a sign not of harmony, but of enmity.
| Section | LANGUAGE AND CULTURE |
| DOI: | 10.47388/2072-3490/lunn2023-64-4-39-52 |
| Downloads | 92 |
| Key words | politeness; etiquette; verbal conflict; enantiosemy; pragmatic connotation; irony; ethical and speech norms |