Abstract:
The research paper deals with the analysis of the linguistic and
extralinguistic markers of conflict in modern English fictional discourse based on
the novel “The Book Thief” by M. Zusak.
In the course of the research, discourse analysis was presented as a method
of linguistic research stating that discourse analysis, as part of linguistics and
social sciences, studies language within broader societal frameworks, revealing its
role in shaping social realities and ideologies. By examining both surface features
and extralinguistic factors, discourse analysis offers an interdisciplinary approach
to understanding communication dynamics and societal implications. It was
revealed that conflicts, integral to human interactions, represent clashes between
opposing interests, goals, and opinions, shaping societal dynamics and posing risks
to social cohesion. Discourse of conflict is a linguistic interaction of the
interlocutors, the illocutionary dominant of which is characterized by the presence
of a clash of communicative goals, as a result of which, the participants of the
discourse feel different emotions due to the verbal influence on each other. Based on the research material which is text extracts from the novel “The
Book Thief” by M. Zusak including fragments representing the linguistic and
extralinguistic markers of conflict, it was revealed that the linguistic markers of
conflict are prevalent, ranging from offensive epithets to direct threats and curse
words, lexical and semantic repetitions and rhetorical questions. The extralinguistic
markers of conflict in the novel involve nonverbal cues such as tone of voice,
gestures, spatial positioning, physical contact, and fights in the culmination. As
conflicts involve both linguistic and extralinguistic markers, verbal expressions of
conflict are typically accompanied by corresponding facial expressions, gestures,
and actions. However, the alignment between linguistic and extralinguistic markers
can be disrupted if conflicts are feigned for other purposes.
