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Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

UDC 811.11

TYPOLOGY OF PUBLIC POLITICAL DISCOURSE OF CONFLICT IN CONTEXT

OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

E.Yu. Aleshina

Penza State University, Penza, Russia Ekaterina Yuryevna Aleshina

candidate of History, associate professor, head of department “Foreign Languages and FLT Methodology”

e-mail: alcatherine@yandex.ru

Statement of the problem. Studying public political discourse in terms of realization of communicative political activity motives and goal-setting of the utterance. The research is focused on the types of public political discourse corresponding to the genres of public political discourse. Results. Defined are the main types of public political discourse of conflict situation – declaration, proclamation and ultimatum. The typology was correlated with the previously determined genre classification of public political discourse. The types of speeches can be considered in context of the genres (informative, persuading, calling, apologetic) providing for their concretization. Conclusion. Cultural and social conditioning of speech communication process presupposes taking into account the principle of the utterance goal-setting principle along with the principle of communication activity for specification of the public political discourse types. Situational characteristics of discourse (here – political discourse of conflict situation) are also of particular importance while defining the genre and typological characteristics of the discourse. The features of each type and genre can be highlighted in context of describing the information structure of the text revealed by means of the dicteme analysis.

Key words: political discourse, public political discourse, conflict situation, speech communication, dicteme, typology of public political discourse, genres of political discourse, information.

For citation: Aleshina E.Yu. Typology of public political discourse of conflict in context of political communication / E.Yu. Aleshina // Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-didactic Researches”. – 2017. –

№ 4 (19). – P. 94 - 100.

Introduction.

Political conflict seems to be an integral characteristic of the contemporary geopolitical situation. Conflict discourse is being replicated by the media and takes a substantial part of the world media space. Studying the specificity of conflict political communication contributes to understanding of the regularities of its organization which, in its turn, is necessary for the process of political conflict regulation.

The insights into the nature of conflict play an important role for describing its communicative constituents. Sociology and psychology offer a number of approaches to conflict definition focused on various criteria. Quite common in conflict studies is the social conflict definition given by the American sociologist L. Coser who describes social conflict as the struggle for values and claims to a certain status, power and limited resources. Meanwhile, the goals of the conflict parties feature not only achieving the desired, but also neutralization, inflicting damage or eliminating the rivals [1]. L. Coser, as well as other Western theorist of conflict (K. Boulding, R. Dahrendorf) highlights the immanence of conflict in society, which is determined by the constant social changes.

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© Aleshina E.Yu., 2017

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Conflict is an important element of social interaction. Each society potentially contains social conflicts. According to A.V. Manoilo, in current international relations conflicts act simultaneously as a special form of political interaction between the world policy actors and as means of resolving contradictions, as a system protecting international relations from overheating, as a “steam release” valve intended to keep the existing system of international relations

[2].

We defined conflict as the opposition of the parties’ interests expressed in some motivated actions directed by the parties against each other. Political conflict is the opposition of the parties – political subjects caused by the incompatible political interests, goals and values linked to the political power which, in its turn, acts as the main object of the political conflict. With that, we treat political power in a broad sense, as comprising the mechanisms, strategies and means employed by the interested political subjects for managing and controlling the society.

Conflict situation can be defined as a set of circumstances revealing the counteraction of the parties which, in its turn, is expressed in their actions directed against each other.

Conflict situation in politics, fist of all, is related to the issue of power, while the conflict parties are, as a rule, the subjects of politics.

Conflict situation is not static: like other social phenomena, in its development it passes several stages – emergence, or origin; formation; prime and transformation (extinction) [3].

In the first stage of its dynamics the conflict situation is usually latent and can be manifested through the social tensions on the side of both the authoritiesе, and the public. In the next stage, the conflict situation goes on to its institutionalization – the conflict is being realized by the participants. In this stage the parties are consolidated.

The stage of conflict formation is completed with the incident which presents the central part of the conflict. Incidents can be evident in both a hidden and an open form.

The open incident can be revealed in verbal arguments, disputes, sanctions, etc. The parties’ hidden actions can include provocations, intrigues, i.e. reflexive management – manipulating another person’s consciousness with a view of making him/ her take the necessary decision.

The following conflict stage is an open opposition. This stage manifests the role of political leaders involved in the conflict. In terms of communication, this stage fully discloses the potential of the public political speech in which a politician expresses his/ her intentions, claims, suggestions, etc. Development of conflict, its escalation presents a greater deal of interest from the point of a conflict communication researcher due to the fact that this conflict stage most vividly reveals the parties’ opposition expressed in verbal actions.

The term “information (information and psychological) war” has become common in the discourse of the media and politics. In the stage of conflict completion unregulated contradictions can grow into an armed conflict in which the weapons become the major means of its resolution.

The forms of conflict manifestation can feature wars, revolutions, strikes and riots. Meanwhile, political conflict can be completed peacefully – by means of taking certain measures and decisions, for instance, dissolution of the parliament.

It is noteworthy that, with our understanding of politics as a social phenomenon expressed in communication, political conflict can also be treated as communication phenomenon. In conflict situation, along with social, psychological, historical and political constituents, much space is allocated by the situation of speech communication. The opposing actions directed by the conflict parties against each other constitute their information interaction and possess verbal nature. On the assumption of understanding speech communication as a process of sending and exchanging utterances with possible kinesic background (according to M. Ya. Blokh), we consider the speech communication in a political conflict situation as a process of information interaction determined by the situation of struggle for political power. Each act of

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speech communication demonstrates the interaction of the language as a system of verbal instruments and the culture as a system of intellectual values [4, p. 5-10], see [5; 6].

Therefore, the regulation of a speech act, also in a conflict situation, is determined by the intellective and the actionable part of the culture. The above principle seems relevant for understanding the nature of the discourse, namely, of political discourse. Let us regard political discourse as a text (in accordance with the logic of correlation between discourse and text [7]) determined by the theme of stating and expressing political subjects’ interests in the process of their activity, struggling for political power and considered in a communication situation. Taking into account the presented concept of political discourse, we could define its following major characteristics: thematic properties of the text, its being determined by the theme connected with the realities of political life; statement of political subjects’ interests including struggling for political power as the main intention of political discourse, predominantly in institutionalized contexts; presence of a speech situation (communication situation) which reveals the specificity of the given genre of political discourse [8].

Methodology of research. Public political discourse of conflict situation constitutes the object of the given research, whereas the subject features its genre and typological characteristics in context of information and communication specificity of the discourse. The research is aimed at revealing and describing the types of public political discourse of conflict situation, also their correlation to the previously determined genres of public political discourse. The research was based on the material of public political speeches by American politicians of the 20th century (W. Wilson, J. McCarthy, J.F. Kennedy, M.L. King, R. Nixon, R. Reagan, W. Clinton, G. Bush, B. Obama) related to both domestic and geopolitical conflicts with a total sample size of 155 650 print signs. The article contains individual, most representative examples.

Research methodology is based on the dicteme theory by M. Ya. Blokh. The concept of dicteme was proposed by M. Ya. Blokh in connection with the scholarly discussion about the communication units of the language [9, p.56-67].

The dicteme as an elementary unit of the text-discourse realizes links between parts of the text, aspects of speech (nomination, predication, thematization, stylization), provides for formation of the speech sequence and the information aspect of the text-discourse. It is in a dicteme that speech acts are realized, which allows for describing the discourse pragmatics. The method of dicteme analysis enables us to consider information and communication features of the text-discourse.

The specificity of speech communication in a situation of political conflict can be also described by means of the theory of speech regulation factors proposed by M. Ya. Blokh [4, p. 5-10]. The seven factors of speech regulation include the target content of the utterance, the speaker’s personal status, the listener’s personal status, the presence of those who hear the speaker by do not participate in communication, the properties of the communication channel, pre-supposition and post-supposition. The key role belongs to the target content of the utterance. With that, the nature of political conflict as communication phenomenon is determined by the speech character of information interaction linguistically expressed through speech acts actualized in dictemes of the conflict discourse [10, p.108-113].

Results of research. In accordance with the statement on speech communication regulation by means of the intellective and actionable part of culture, we can proceed to determining the main types of public political discourse (types of speeches) which can serve the basis for the more detailed research into genre specificity of the public political speech of a conflict situation. Let us take the principle of a politician’s communicative activity as the major criterion for the typology. Thus, of primary importance is the concept of political activity along with its communicative constituent. Dictionaries and references of political science [1**; 2**] define political activity in its general sense as the activity in various areas of the state’s political life connected with the issues of power, regulation of social processes, interests and values.

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In conformity with our understanding of politics we can define political activity as the subjects’ activity in the system of relations within the framework of state institutions which is linked to benefitting from mutual contacts and redistribution of power resources. It should be highlighted that political activity, as well as politics on the whole, finds its expression in communicative actions. As defined by J. Habermas, communicative action is an interaction where participants coordinate plans of their actions, and the resulted and agreement is measured through the intersubjective recognition of the claims for relevance [11, p.91].

Let us define communicative political activity as an activity which is realized by political subjects in the process of speech communication and is determined by exchange of information connected with the issues of power and redistribution of power resources. The key constituents of a politician’s communicative activity in a conflict situation refer the following communicative actions: declaration, persuasion, accusation, warning. These communicative actions define the main generalized types of speeches in a conflict situation:

declaration,

proclamation,

ultimatum.

The accusation as communicative action can determine all of the above types of public speeches as accompanied by declaration, persuasion and warning.

The type “d e c l a r a t i o n s p e e c h ” can comprise politicians’ addresses to congress, parliament, to the nation containing information on the current situation, on intentions of a certain politician, a party or a state as a whole to act in a conflict situation. The declaration speech is often pronounced in the initial stage of the conflict as well as in its second stage – the stage of opposition.

T h e d e c l a r a t i o n s p ee c h can be also pronounced in the final stage of the conflict development. It defines the outcomes of the conflict (for instance, of a war), the distribution of the spheres of influence, or highlights the nation’s achievements.

T h e p r o c l a m a t i o n sp e e c h ( c a l l i n g) is, as a rule, pronounced in the stage of conflict development and can address the nation with a view of calling for action (enlisting in the army, participating in military campaigns, working in the rear, etc.). The proclamation speech addressed to the nation can also contain address to the enemy.

T h e u l t i m a t um s p e ec h is usually addressed to the conflict opponent in the stage of conflict development. It contains the conditions proposed by the opposing party which are due in a certain time span. As a rule, the ultimatum speech is rather impressive.

The defined types of public political discourse have a marked pragmatic orientation. They duly correspond to the dynamics of the conflict situation and with its stages.

It seems important to correlate the types of conflict public political discourse with the previously determined genres of public political discourse. The problem of political discourse genres is characterized by ambiguity of its solutions.

N. Fairclough explains the difficulties in singling out the genres of political discourse by its heterogeneity a broad understanding of politics as a partly institutionalized sphere of social life where various social groups interact in pursuit of their interests, needs, aspirations and values. The genres of political discourse are often of hybrid nature which is connected with the process of social change involving politics as well as other spheres of life [12, p.33].

Following M. Ya. Blokh, we will take the goal-setting as the major criterion in defining the genre gradation [13, p. 3]. Moreover, the above considered principle of taking into account a politician’s communicative activity also matters for describing the genre and typological characteristics of conflict public political discourse.

In accordance with understanding the genre as a goal-setting characteristic of the textdiscourse, let us define the following genres of public political discourse [8]:

Information genre (inauguration speeches, addresses to congress, speeches in parlia- 97

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ment, etc.). Informing is contained in providing the audience with information on the intentions of a politician, a political party, a state to act in a certain way under the current circumstances, and on the measures which will be taken, or have been taken, to resolve the problems together with their grounding.

Persuading genre (speech in a convention/ meeting, pre-election speeches, etc.). Persuasion organically fits into the system of pragmatic characteristics of a public political speech. The persuasion aspect of public discourse was marked as early as the Antiquity (Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian). Realization of subjective motives of political activity is invariably linked to persuading the listeners of the necessity of support or taking a certain decision (political course).

Calling genre (pre-election speech, statement, etc.), also calling for help (public address, etc.). The calling is realized in the speaker’s addressing the audience with a view of motivating them to perform certain actions. The calling is often accompanied by persuasion and informing as the speaker provides grounds and arguments for the call. The calling is generally characteristic for the initial stage of political conflict as well as for the stage of its development.

The apology/ repentance genre (public speech of repentance, the speech of apology).

The apology (repentance) is possible in the situation of a politician’s defeat, in the final stage of political conflict. Public repentance may be related to the lawsuit involving the politician. With that, the apology features convincing the audience either of the speaker being right or innocent.

The defined genres of public political discourse can be of mixed character. Rhetorical practice can often demonstrate speeches of the information and persuading genres combined. A vital characteristic of the public political discourse is propaganda.

The propaganda cannot be singled out as a separate genre of public political discourse. Propaganda is rather an activity on spreading information (opinions, judgments, etc.) aimed at affecting the audience’s mass consciousness according to some specific motivation.

The founder of the PR idea E. Barneys defined propaganda as organized activity on spreading a certain opinion or a doctrine, as mechanism of a wide-scale suggestion of views [14].

The previously defined types of speeches correlate with the considered genre classification in the following way:

Table 1. Typological and genre characteristics of public political discourse of a conflict situation

The given correlation “communicative action – speech type – poltical public discourse genre” illustrates the connection of the principle of utterance goal-setting and the principle of the speaker politician’s communicative activity with types and genres of political public dis-

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course of conflict situation. It is evident that various genres can be represented by similar types of discourse which can be determined by different “sets” of communicative actions.

Conclusion. The research has shown that considering public political discourse in context of regulation of speech communication allows for specifying its genre and typological characteristics. Cultural and social determination of the speech communication process presupposes the situational background of the discourse, political discourse in particular. A propos to this, the concept of political communicative activity plays a major role in the process of defining a type of conflict public political discourse. The proposed typology (declaration, proclamation, ultimatum) is by no means exhaustive and presents a generalization of the key constituents of a political speaker’s communication activity. Meanwhile, the highlighted types of speeches possess certain characteristics in terms of intentionality, address, actualization of dicteme information which is possible to reveal through analyzing a dicteme as a thematic unit of the textdiscourse. As for the discourse situational characteristics, the types of speeches can correspond to the stages of the unfolding conflict situation.

The main principle of speech communication regulation – the principle of utterance target content serves as basis for the genre gradation of the public political discourse of a conflict situation. The principle of goal-setting of the utterance is linked to the principle of considering communication activity. The presented types of speech (declaration, proclamation, ultimatum) correlate with the genres of public political discourse of conflict situation (information, persuading, calling, apology/ repentance genre) as the particular and the general providing for their concretization.

The conclusions resulting from the research testify to the possibility of a genre being represented by several types of speeches. It also seems feasible to state to talk about the mixed types of public political speeches in context of combined genres which may be as well regarded as a perspective of further research.

References

[1]Kozer L. A. Funkcii social'nogo konflikta. — M.: Dom intellektual'noj knigi: Idejapress, 2000. — 295 s.

[2]Manojlo A.V. Politicheskie konflikty v mezhdunarodnyh otnoshenijah i mirovoj politike // Mir i politika. 2013. 15 marta. — Jelektronnyj resurs. — Kod dostupa: http://mir- politika.ru/3999-politicheskie-konflikty-v-mezhdunarodnyh-otnosheniyah-i-mirovoy- politike.html

[3]Politicheskaja konfliktologija: Uchebnoe posobie / Pod red. S.A. Lancova. – SPb: Piter, 2008. – 319 s.

[4]Bloh M.Ja. Jazyk, kul'tura i problema reguljacii rechevogo obshhenija // Jazyk.

Kul'tura. Rechevoe obshhenie. 2013, №2. – S.5-10.

[5]Fomina Z.E., Lavrinenko I.Ja. Kognitivnye strategii kak mental'nye determinanty pri jazykovoj ob#ektivacii konceptov razuma i chuvstva v filosofskom diskurse F. Bjekona / Z.E. Fomina, I.Ju. Lavrinenko // Nauchnyj vestnik Voronezhskogo gosudarstvennogo arhitekturnostroitel'nogo universiteta. Ser. Sovremennye lingvisticheskie i metodiko-didakticheskie issledovanija. – 2014. – № 1 (21). – S. 23–37.

[6]Fomina Z.E. Meteorologicheskie poslovichnye primety s imenem svjatogo v nemeckom lingvokul'turnom soobshhestve/ Z.E. Fomina // Nauchnyj vestnik Voronezhskogo gosudarstvennogo arhitekturno-stroitel'nogo universiteta. Ser. Sovremennye lingvisticheskie i metodiko-didakticheskie issledovanija. – 2015. – vyp. 2 (26). – S. 129–146.

[7]Bloh M.Ja. Diskurs i sistemnoe jazykoznanie // Jazyk. Kul'tu¬ra. Rechevoe obshhenie, 2013. — № 1. — S. 5-11.

[8]Aljoshina E.Ju. Publichnyj politicheskij diskurs konfliktnoj situacii. – M.: Prometej, 2015. – 220 s.

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[9]Bloh M. Ja. Diktema v urovnevoj strukture jazyka // Voprosy jazy¬koznanija, 2000,

№4. — S. 56-67. (7)

[10]Aljoshina E.Ju. Faktory reguljacii rechevogo obshhenija v situa¬cii politicheskogo konflikta (na materiale anglijskogo jazyka) // Politicheskaja lingvistika, 2014. — Vyp. 2 (48).

— S. 108-113.

[11]Habermas Ju. Moral'noe soznanie i kommunikativnoe dej¬stvie. — SPb: Nauka, 2001. — 382 s.

[12]Fairclough N. Genres in political discourse // Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics / Ed. K. Brown. — Oxford, Elsevier, 2005.

[13]Bloh M.Ja., Velikaja E.V. Prosodija v stilizacii teksta. — M.: «Prometej» MPGU, 2011. — 120 s.

[14]Barneys E. Propaganda. H. Liveright, 1928. – 159 p.

Dictionaries used

[1**] Vlast'. Politika. Gosudarstvennaja sluzhba. Slovar' / Red. Halilov V.F., Ha-lilova E.V. – M.: Luch, 1996.

[2**] Politologija. Slovar'-spravochnik / Red. Vasilik M.A., Vershinin M.S. – M: Gardariki, 2000.

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UDC 81

GENDER ASPECTS OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

IN BUSINESS INTERVIEW

S.S. Kogotkova

___________________________________________________________________________

Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Moscow, Russia Serafima Sergeevna Kogotkova

Senior lecturer of the Chair of Foreign Languages, Economic Department of PFUR e-mail: BonZoso@yandex.ru

___________________________________________________________________________

Statement of the problem. The article deals with the linguopragmatic characteristics of disjunctive questions in a business interview in the light of their gender aspects. It examines communication strategies of disjunctive questions in business interviews held by business community representatives, native speakers of two national variants of the English language: British and American. It also investigates male and female types of speech behaviour and basic characteristics of a business interview. The article focuses on historically conditioned interpenetration and assimilation of the American and British variants of English, reveals the differences in the use of communication strategies in British and American English. Results. We have considered specific features of interview as a genre of business communication. The research is mainly focused on functional and pragmatic analysis of English tag questions in business interview in the context of gender factor impact on communicants’ verbal behavior. We have singled out functional and pragmatic characteristics of English tag questions in male and female business communication on the examples of two national variants of English – British and American. Conclusion. Aiming at symmetrical communicative interaction in the course of interview is typical of both genders’ representatives. We have come to the conclusion that tag question is a very specific communicative sentence type and a very effective means of realizing interlocutors’ communication strategies. Tag questions play the role of communication organizers and, therefore, communication stimulators in the modern English language.

Key words: business interview, national variants of the English language, communication strategies, gender characteristics.

For citation: Kogotkova S.S. Gender aspects of communication strategies in business interview / S.S. Kogotkova

// Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-didactic Researches”. – 2017. – № 4 (19). – P. 101 - 108.

Introduction.

Business sphere in nowadays one of the most significant areas of social life. Business communication enhances international ties and as a result is becoming an important sociocultural factor. Effective communication influences many business solutions and is developed on the basis of people’s direct interaction in various situations. Professional communication has recently been an object of careful study. Communication problems due to inefficient cross-cultural business communication within common socio-cultural environment are related to cultural differences and business partners’ being non-native speakers of a language. Communicative and socio-cultural incompetence can result in difficulties in the informative and social functions of business discourse as well as national and cultural specifics [1]. Modern economic and social environment has brought forward the need to enhance the level of modern specialists’ communicative competence.

Methodology of study. The object of this study is examples from business interviews, not only because this genre is one of the most common and popular but also because it eloquently demonstrates linguo-pragmatic characteristics of cross-cultural business communication. The subject of the study is functional and pragmatic features of English tag questions in male and female speech in business interview as demonstrated by examples of two national variants – British and American.

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The study of functional and pragmatic characteristics of English tag question in male and female speech is carried out on the material of print and radio interviews from authentic British and American sources. In the course of analysis, we have used methods of observation, interpretational and semantic analysis of question-and-answer communication blocs of English business interviews.

Results of study. Before turning to specific examples, it is worth considering such concepts as “communication strategy” and “communication tactic”. This topic has been discussed with great interest and generated a lot of new works devoted to communication strategies and tactics. Some of the most significant works include the studies of O. Issers, A. Mischlanov, V. Andreeva, A. Lanskikh, E. Rubleva, M. Yurina [See also: 2; 3, etc.].

The concept of “strategy” is considered in such scientific areas as military art, economics, political studies, psychology, linguistics. In any of these spheres, the strategic approach is based on “general knowledge and cognitive models of both society and an individual” [4].

Linguistics doesn’t have a single approach to the definition of communication strategies and tactics. O. Issers, for instance, considers communication strategies as “a complex of verbal actions aimed at achieving a communication goal” [5].

O. Parshina views a communication strategy as “a verbal super-task dictated by the speaker’s practical goals”and “a certain direction of verbal behavior in a situation in order to achieve the goal of communication”. [6].

Analyzing the above-mentioned definitions, it is possible to draw a conclusion that it is the concept of communication goal which is essential for defining a communication strategy.

Thus, a communication goal defines the whole strategy of interaction and “it is expressed in the choice of conversation manner, the form and content of the message, the appropriate way of speaking, etc”. [7].

In our study, a communicative strategy refers to part of communication behavior or verbal interaction where a range of verbal and non-verbal means is used to achieve a certain communication goal, the communication situation and communicants’ personalities being considered. [8].

Communication tactics function as means of communication strategy realization and correspond to specific communicative intentions. Tactics encouraging the achievement of similar goals are combined into groups.

Recently, many researchers’ attention has been drawn by a specific genre of business discourse – interview. Speaking about interview, J. Rogers notes: “I have never had to fulfil a more challenging task that at first sight would seem so easy” [9]. For a casual observer, the difference between an interview and everyday speech is not so obvious. In fact, they do have a number of differences.

In the course of studying gender characteristics of business interview discourse, many researchers firstly pay attention to the strategy of communicative behavior. They claim that the male type of verbal behavior may be called “competitive” which assumes certain competitiveness, autonomy and aiming at controlling the situation. The female type of behavior, on the contrary, is “cooperative” which assumes interpersonal interaction, sociability and expressing feelings. Studying the male and female associative centers, E. Zemskaya, M. Kitaygorodskaya and N. Rozanova found out that the female associative center has a humanistic character while men accociate themselves with sports, professional and military spheres. [10].

On the other hand, any culture would recognize that woman’s social status is somewhat less significant as compared to man’s as man’s activities in society are viewed as more socially productive as compared to woman’s [See, for example: 11; 12].

Therefore, gender-determined models of verbal behavior are defined not by nature but by society and socio-cultural parameters.

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A lot of oral business communication cases have demonstrated that tag questions are an integral part of both male and female speech (especially in American English). Thus, it is necessary to pay special attention to their appearance in the context and functions. Example 1:

Interviewer: D i d y o u h a v e a m i l l i o n - d o l l a r t r u s t f u n d w h i l e y o u w e r e a t H a r v a r d ?

Bill Gates: Not true. Where does this randomness come from? Y o u t h i n k i t ' s a b e t t e r m y t h t o h a v e s t a r t e d w i t h a b u n c h o f m o n e y a n d m a d e m o n e y t h a n t o h a v e s t a r t e d w i t h o u t , r i g h t ? In what sense? My parents are very successful, and I went to the nicest private school in the Seattle area. I was lucky. But I never had any trust funds of any kind, though my dad did pay my tuition at Harvard, which was quite expensive. [1*]

This example demonstrates symmetrical role distribution between male communicants, which is shown by the interviewee’s remark where he explicitly denies the gossip mentioned by the interviewer and expresses discontent about his personal life myths by using a tag question and a further counter-question. Symmetrical communicative interaction is characterized by the absence of a communicatively privileged role. The interlocutors have equal opportunities od communicative actions in the discourse. Such cases of symmetrical role distribution are quite common. Such type of relations makes an interview similar to a conversation, which affects the character of interaction between the interviewer and the interviewee and is noted for nonformality and openness. Example 2:

Interviewer: Your personal life has taken some unexpected turns in the last couple years. You and Melissa broke up, and you've become involved with Calista Flockhart. A lot has changed. Did you ever think it would be this way?

Harrison Ford: Yes to the first statement, no to the second. And that's about all the answer you're going to get.

Interviewer: Were you surprised by the public interest in your love life?

Harrison Ford: I was completely unprepared for the public spectacle my private life became and I didn't like it a bit.

Harrison Ford: I understand. [2*]

The interviewee’s answer to the initial question includes direct evidence that the topic tackled by the journalist is too personal and is not subject to public discussion. Moreover, a question about family problems and love affairs may considerably harm “the social face” of the interviewee, which forces him to distance himself from the interlocutor by means of outlining the limits of allowed invasion of his privacy. The journalist’s following remarks point at his recognizing the possible conflict development in the interviewee’s answer. Thus, the interviewer resorts to a tag question using the tactic of “excusing” so as to explain the reason of such interest in his interlocutor’s private life and to turn the general mood of verbal interaction back to cooperation.

An interesting observation was cases of interviewers’ using a suggestive tag question aimed at instilling the desirable reply into the interlocutor. As a result, the interviewee often gives the answer the interviewer wants him to give. Such kind of question creates a special appeal to the addressee and impacts his feelings. Therefore, it is not a coincidence that most examples demonstrate inversely-polar tag questions with a positive base and a negative tag which

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