Communicative and Pragmatical Specifity of the English Ethical Apology

• Main Author: Valentina Aleksandrovna Litvinova
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Volgograd State University 2015-12-01
• Series: Vestnik Volgogradskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta. Seriâ 2. Âzykoznanie
• Subjects: morals; speech act; speech etiquette; self-condemnation; social image; emotional restraint; ethical apology; ethics.
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu2.2015.5.12

The article presents the results of analysis aimed at defining communicative and pragmatical specifity of the ethical apology in the English culture which is defined as the form of restoration of a social image of one of the speakers who has broken the norms of moral behaviour in the interpersonal relations. Presupposition of the English ethical apology is viewed through its situational environment including the following extralinguistic circumstances: place and time of communication, social, ethnocultural and psycho-emotional status of both communicative partners. The given external factors form the background that motivates the reason for the English ethical apology usage, its situational context and choice of verbal and non-verbal means of apology within the borders of the studied communicative culture. The lengthening of the speech act one of the speakers becomes language marker of the ethical apology in the English-speaking communication. The situations of interpersonal communication with the reference to the cases of intrusion into personal space described in fiction have been investigated where the English ethical apology, based on the norms of moral behaviour, is used with an intention to restore the harmony in relations and improve the social image of one of the speakers who has broken the norms of morals.