Triggers in the Power Discourse and their Reflection in the Mass-media

The paper analyses the utterances-triggers in the power discourse which have become widespread recently. Trigger as the utterance of authority representatives causes a sharp and negative reaction of the general public, the former being represented in the print and e-media. On the basis of the popular mass-media the authors made an attempt to classify the triggers in the power discourse, characterise the utterances-reactions to the triggers and to differentiate the triggers and similar speech phenomena. The triggers' classification is based on the intentional criterion. The following groups of triggers are singled out: triggers-opinions of public authorities and triggers-suggestions put forward into public authorities. Different population categories (mothers, pensioners, people with low income) become the target of triggers-opinions. Triggers-opinions may correlate with such speech genres as advice, insult and threat; whereas triggers-suggestions may be relevant to such genres as prohibition, disapproval and commandment. The main variants of reactions to triggers are: ironic comment of triggers-opinions and triggers-suggestions by the mass-media; negative utterances of appointed officials and top public officials; outrage as the reaction of the general public; negative evaluation of the authority figures; appeal to the insulting person or government agency; legislative proposal; apologies; political willpower; proposals which aim at improving the current situation. The trigger's pragmatic structure is described. It consists of the following components: addresser, addressee, intention, target, reaction. As a result the authors find it possible to classify the trigger as a dialogical genre the main attributes of which in the power discourse are: addresser (people who work in the public authorities), individual or group addressee and axiological modality. The formal structure of triggers includes: negative and evaluative judgments (triggers-opinions) and probable conclusion (triggers-suggestions). Individuals or groups of people, various spheres of public activity become the target of triggers. Triggers correlate with the certain repertoire of speech genres, cause negative individual or public reaction. The main speech actions of the mass-media in relation to triggers is their registration and commenting in the negative and ironic tone.

Keywords

Authors

References