SEMANTICS OF THE INSPIRATIONAL SPEECHES AND THEIR COMMUNICATIVE AND PRAGMATIC POTENTIAL (A CASE STUDY OF PRINCE HARRY’S SPEECHES AT THE INVICTUS GAMES)

Abstract

The article analyzes the speeches delivered by the British Prince Harry at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Invictus Games and proves their inspirational nature. Inspirational speeches are defined as a public speech aimed, as a rule, at a group of people in order to convey a strong sense of enthusiasm, to inspire and motivate them, to encourage them to take desired actions. As a result of the lexicographic analysis, the framework of the concept of to inspire was formed, the semantics of which is filled with the following semes: to encourage someone to actions, to give desire and inspiration, to fill with enthusiasm, to excite liveliness and endurance, to motivate for changes for the better, to add confidence and strength.
The participants of the communicative act triad are determined: the sender – the text – the addressee/ recipient, and their roles are outlined. The sender is proved to achieve a pragmatic effect by means of the text, i.e. inspirational speeches, exerting a speech influence on the recipient. The functions of the researched speeches are formulated, which coincide with the functions of communication – informative, social, expressive, pragmatic, and interpretive. Examples are employed to illustrate the secondary nature of informative and interpretive functions and the vividness of social, expressive and pragmatic functions. Due to the presence of the inspiration pragmatics in the basis of all communicative attitudes of the researched speeches the inspirational function is singled out, which is dominant.