MODERN POLITICAL DISCOURSE: VERBAL EXEMPLIFICATION OF TACTICAL AND STRATEGIC PREFERENCES

Cover Page

Cite item

Abstract

The article proposes a comparative analysis of language constructs representing the framework of speech strategies and tactics, the totality of which determines the arrangement of political communication in different lingual cultures. The relevance of the article is determined by the very object of research. The political field, being an integral part of the ethnic culture in any society, represents a complex conglomerate of ideas, where the goals and interests of the state and its elite groups are indicated. Evolving on the basis of linguistic material accumulated by society, the policy is implemented primarily in the process of verbal interaction which aims at forming a certain picture of the world in the society. Accordingly, a person’s linguistic activity in the sphere of politics is an acquisition, exercise and preservation of political power mediated in signs.In this regard, the entire formal organization of political discourse is subject to the need for an effective implementation of the impact function, which is instrumented by a variety of communication strategies and tactics. Intentional “message” of political discursive practice inevitably changes in the act of individual language situation. Therefore, the most “significant” figures of political interaction (in our case, the heads of foreign affairs agencies) are of scientific interest, as they largely determine the ideological position of various social groups. Accordingly, the feature characteristics of their speeches can be regarded as the dominant characteristics of national political practice and considered as basis for creating a typed communicative portrait of a political figure. Moreover, the derivative meanings generated as a result of the use of certain speech strategies and tactics by political actors, on the basis of semantic-semiotic associations, develop further and gradually pass into adjacent discursive fields establishing new semantic links. The highly complicated language (text/discursive) units structured in this way are characterized not only by the high expressive and emotional potential and the “multi-layered” semantic “message”, but also by some typification, which causes their wide distribution in the acts of political communication. Thus, the political logosphere is not so much a product of society activity as its modifier. Penetrating all layers of universal logosphere, it actively forms the speech practice of the subjects included in it, their hierarchical structure as well as the linguistic ethnic universe as a whole.

About the authors

N A Bozhenkova

Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, Moscow, Russia

Author for correspondence.
Email: natalyach@mail.ru

Natalia A. Bozhenkova, Ph.D. in Philology, Distinguished Professor, Professor at the Department of General and Russian Linguistics, Pushkin State Russian Language Institute. Fields of research: text linguistics, general discourse theory, psycholinguistics, linguoculturology, political linguistics, social linguistics and cross-cultural communication, stylistics, rhetoric, Russian speech culture, linguistic and methodological aspects of the Russian Language in a foreign society, linguistic and methodological aspects of the Russian Language and Literature in the Russian society. Professor Bozhenkova has authored over 350 scientific publications.

Academician Volgin str., 6, Moscow, Russia, 117485

R K Bozhenkova

Bauman Moscow State Technical University

Email: rkbozhenkova@mail.ru

Raisa K. Bozhenkova, Ph.D. in Philology, Distinguished Professor, Professor at the Department of the Russian Language, Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Fields of research: linguoculturology, general discourse theory, linguistic hermeneutics, semantics, cross-cultural communication, phonetics and accentology, stylistics, rhetoric, Russian speech culture, linguistic and methodological aspects of Russian as a Foreign Language. Professor Bozhenkova has authored over 300 scientific publications.

2nd Bauman str., 5, building 1, Moscow, Russia, 105005

A M Bozhenkova

Lomonosov Moscow State University

Email: alexandra2911@mail.ru

Alexandra M. Bozhenkova, Master of Arts, Graduate student, Faculty of Philology, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Fields of research: political linguistics, linguoculturology, cross-cultural communication, translation, interpretation and correlating studies. A.M. Bozhenkova is the author of 20 scientific publications.

Leninskie gory, 1, p. 51, Moscow, Russia, 119991

References

  1. Baranov A.N., Kazakevich Y.G. Parliamentary debates: traditions and innovations. Moscow: Znaniye, 1991. 42 p. (In Russ.)
  2. Sheigal Y.I. Semiotics of the political discourse. Volgograd: Peremena, 2000. 386 p. (In Russ.)
  3. Sorokin Y.A. Political discourse: attempt to interpret the concept. Political discourse in Russia. Moscow, 1997. (In Russ.)
  4. Sheigal Y.I. Semiotics of the political discourse: thesis for a degree of Doctor of Philology. Volgograd, 2001. 175 p. (In Russ.)
  5. Zheltukhina M.R. Voluntative function of the comic in political discourse. Linguistic personality: institutional and personal discourse. Volgograd: Peremena, 2000. P. 71—79. (In Russ.)
  6. Parshina O.N. Strategies and tactics of speech conduct of the Russian political elite: thesis for a degree of Doctor of Philology. Saratov, 2005. 315 p. (In Russ.)
  7. Graber D. Political Languages. Handbook of Political Communication. Beverly Hills, London: Sage Publications, 1981. P. 195—224.
  8. Sternin I.A. Social factors and political discourse. Mass culture on the edge of XX—XXI enturies: Human and his discourse. Moscow: Azbukovnik, 2003. P. 91—108. (In Russ.)
  9. Demyanenkov V.Z. Interpretation of political discourse in mass media. The language of mass media as an object of interdisciplinary research. Moscow: Izdatelstvo MGU, 2001. P 116—133. (In Russ.)
  10. Parshin P.B. Research practice, concept and methods of political linguistics. Scripta linguisticae applicatae. Problems of applied linguistics. Institute Yazykoznaniya RAN. Moscow: Azbukovnik, 2001. P. 181—207. (In Russ.)
  11. Felinski A.A. Critical analysis of political discourse of election campaigns 1999—2000: abstract from the thesis for the degree of Candidate of Philology. Tver, 2002. 20 p. (In Russ.)
  12. Ivanova Y.M. Strategies of speech impact in the genre of pre-election debates: abstract from the thesis for the degree of Candidate of Philology. Volgograd, 2003. 19 p. (In Russ.)
  13. Bozhenkova N.A. The issue of category units in contemporary political logosphere. The Russian language and culture: problems of teaching in Russian universities: materials of the scientific and practical seminar. Kursk, 2008. P. 4—9. (In Russ.)
  14. Issers O.S. What politic figures say to endear themselves to the people // Vestnik Omskogo universiteta. Omsk, 1996. Vol. 1 P. 71—74. (In Russ.)
  15. Gaikova O.V. Election discourse as a genre of political communication (on the basis of the English language): abstract from the thesis for the degree of Candidate of Philology. Volgograd, 2003. 19 p. (In Russ.)
  16. Pevneva I.V. Communicative strategies and tactics in conflict situations in common and professional pedagogical discourses in Russian and American linguistic cultures: thesis for the degree of Candidate of Philology Kemerovo, 2008. 206 p. (In Russ.)
  17. Maria Zakharova, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs official spokesperson. Briefing. 12. May 2016, Moscow [Digital resource]. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Access mode: http://www.mid.ru/press_service/spokesman/briefings//asset_publisher/D2wHaWMCU6 Od/content/id/2276895
  18. Maria Zakharova, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs official spokesperson. Briefing. 19. May 2016, Sochi [Digital resource]. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Access mode: http://www.mid.ru/press_service/spokesman/briefings//asset_publisher/D2wHaWMCU6 Od/content/id/2287934
  19. John Kirby, Spokesperson, Daily Press Briefing, Washington, DC, May 2, 2016 [Digital resource]. U.S. Department of State. Access mode: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2016/05/256786.htm
  20. John Kirby, Spokesperson, Daily Press Briefing, Washington, DC, May 13, 2016 [Digital resource]. U.S. Department of State. Access mode: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2016/05/257185.htm
  21. John Kirby, Spokesperson, Daily Press Briefing, Washington, DC, May 17, 2016 [Digital resource]. U.S. Department of State. Access mode: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2016/05/257315.htm

Copyright (c) 2017 Bozhenkova N.A., Bozhenkova R.K., Bozhenkova A.M.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This website uses cookies

You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.

About Cookies