Лінгвістичні та екстралінгвістичні маркери конфлікту у сучасному англомовному художньому дискурсі

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.