LINGUO-COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGIES OF CRITICISM AND DISAPPROVAL IN LITARARY CHARACTERS’ SPEECH (ON THE MATERIAL OF THE NOVEL “THE CUCKOO’S CALLING” BY JOAN ROWLING)

Abstract

The paper deals with speech behaviour of literary characters in the novel by Joan Rowling “The Cuckoo’s Calling”, and linguo-communicative strategies of criticism and disapproval in their interaction, in particular. The research makes an attempt to remodel the main character’s language identity and linguo-cultural social patterns typical of the environment where communication is taking place. The paper contributes to exposing linguistic manifestation of criticism and disapproval in literary characters’ verbal communication as well as to building a comprehensive language model of a literary character.
The research carried out shows that similar to politeness strategies, which are phrased in a range of clichés, in the situations of criticism and disapproval, speakers tend to apply a set of linguo-communicative strategies. Among explicit strategies of disapproval, naming (or labeling), negative attribution and negative interpretation, devaluation, rebuttal, negation and prohibition are the most common ones. The paper also identifies implicit disapproval strategies, such as pseudo questions, pseudo apologies, ascribing, hints, end-of-conversation signals. Situation of criticism prove to be less common in the literary characters’ communication, reproaching and accusations (with or without reasoning) are normally related to the speakers’ intention to influence the behaviour of the addressee or to make a critical utterance look more rational and objective.
Speech behaviour of the main character marked by inquiring, refrain from voicing his opinion, avoiding confrontation projects the image of a highly professional person with a unique capacity of self-control, which manifests itself through the strategy of “non-articulation”. Readers perceive it through the character’s “inner speech”.