FUNCTIONAL AND SYNERGETIC POTENTIAL OF THE ADDRESS SPEECH ETIQUETTE IN THE LITERARY POSTCOLONIAL TEXT

Abstract

The article explores multifunctional nature of speech etiquette address units, viewed as linguistic attractors, through the prism of functional and synergetic approach in the synergetic speech etiquette system of English-speaking postcolonial character through the analysis of literary texts of postcolonial novels dating to the end of XX-th – the beginning of XXI-st centuries. Address attractors encompass both traditional classic etiquette addressing operators as well as new deviant options (culturally-marked, hybrid and occasional ones) based on ethnic origin of a postcolonial character and borrowed from his mother tongue, including names/nicknames, kinship terms, address terms of respect, address forms with the semantics of age, gender, occupation, address forms of endearment, informal vernacular address forms. The functional palette of speech etiquette address attractors has been highlighted and exemplifi ed through a variety of general and specialized address functions which have been singled out. General address functions include performative, stylistic and text-building ones, whereas the bulk of specialized functions of address attractors encompasses vocative function or the function of reference, social regulatory function, expressive and emotional (emotive) function, function of characterization and individualization of a postcolonial character, all of them being a vivid example of the hybrid nature of an individual in the era of multiculturalism.