1.2 Methods & Main Lines of Research in Communicative Studies

1) semiotic analysis – study of communication on the basis of sign (semiotic) nature of language: 1) connection between sign and object of reality (semantics); 2) interconnection of signs within the sign system (syntax); 3) connection between sign and a human being, as well as between a human being and objects of reality with the help of signs (pragmatics);

2) pragmatic analysis – helps to investigate the interconnection of human components of communication (psychological type of man, human mood, world-view, attitude towards speaker) and language structures. Human components of communication influence the process of communication, its tonality and atmosphere. The focus of attention here –

strategies of communication, evaluative aspects of human interaction, laws of communication, communicative acts and conditions. Pragmatic analysis was elaborated in the 60 – 70s of the XX century in the USA by such linguists as John L.Austin (1962), John Searle (1965, 1969), Paul Grice (1970);

3) structural analysis – studies language as an entire functional system, elements and parts of which are strictly interconnected;

4) discourse analysis – studies social context of communication which stands by the oral or written speech; interconnection of language code in speaking and social, psychological, physical, cultural processes [7, p. 96].

The described methods of linguistic analysis applied in communicative studies directly relate to the general organization of communicative linguistics. Thus, George Gerbner describes three main branches of

communication study. The first is semiotics, the study of signs and symbols and how they combine to convey meaning in different social contexts. This branch is mainly concerned with how verbal, non-verbal, visual, and aural signs and symbols combine to create messages [2, p. 34].

The second branch, related to pragmatic and structural analysis, is the study of behavior and interaction through exposure to messages. It emphasizes measuring, explaining, and predicting communication effects on knowledge, perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and public opinion. It is strongly influenced by scientific methods from the fields of psychology and social psychology [8, p. 127].

The third branch, related to discourse analysis, is the study of the large-scale organization of communications through social institutions and systems (mass media, political organizations, government, advocacy groups), their history, regulation, and policy-making impact. It is strongly influenced by scientific methods from the field of sociology, but also by the methods of political science, history, and public affairs [3, p. 41].

Just as no single behavioral theory explains and predicts all human behavior, no communication theory explains and predicts all communication outcomes. Some view this as a fragmentation in understanding the role of a communication in human affairs [ibid., p. 3].

Others view this as a productive theoretical diversity, conducive to the understanding of human activity in many complex dimensions [4, p. 166]. Communication researchers have increasingly sought to connect and to integrate effects across levels of analysis, from the micro to the macro. For example, health campaign planners may study the effects of a media

Campaign in generating interpersonal discussion. They might look at media story about a new drug or treatment to see if it causes patients to raise the issue with their health care providers.

Main Lines of Research in Communicative Studies

1) investigation of the universal laws of human communication;

2) investigation of the peculiarities of interpersonal communication depending upon different conditions (social, cultural, etc.);

3) investigation of the structure of language as a complex mental and sociocultural concept in the process of interpersonal communication;

4) investigation of the laws governing the interconnection of intra- and extra-linguistic means of interpersonal communication;

5) investigation of the communicative failures;

6) investigation of the methods of language study in the process of interpersonal communication [5, p. 120].