Verbal behavior of radio presenters in communicative discomfort situations (entertainment and information radio shows)

This paper describes the analysis of verbal behavior of radio presenters in situations of predictable and unpredictable communicative discomfort. The object of research is the speech of radio presenters of federal stations and their guests during entertainment and information shows. The relevance of the radio speech research in modern sociolinguistics is related to actual changes in the strategies and tactics of speech behavior of radio communication participants. The authors understand communicative discomfort as a situation comprising some characteristics restraining implementation of communicative intentions and/or expectations of participants. The authors divide all communicative discomfort situations into unpredictable and predictable. Unpredictable situations comprise communicative failures that emerge in a spontaneous way due to an incorrectly selected tactics or its lexical / semantic components. As the reasons causing unpredictable communicative failures, this paper studies linguistic and speech-related factors: intralingual homonymy, inappropriate use of low-attitude colloquial expressive vocabulary, violation of the principle of communicative correctness and etiquette rules, incorrect recognition of person. The authors also note cognitive factors: misunderstanding of radio presenter's communicative intention and guests' unwillingness to speak on a particular topic or to answer a question. All unpredicted communication failures are undesirable for radio presenters and require their verbal behavior to change. For the purposes of avoidance of a communication failure, radio presenters may use various tactics and techniques: tactics of solidarity with a guest, tactics that reduces categorical statements, joke, compliment, explanation, specification of information and agreement tactics. All these methods allow radio presenters to leave the situation of communicative discomfort and continue their conversation with a guest. Situations of predicted communicative discomfort are distinct from unpredicted by the selection of tactics and techniques. Predicted communicative discomfort means a type of communication failure which is initiated by the radio presenter. The purpose of the presenter on radio air is to maximally help interlocutors to show themselves, to identify their views on significant matters, to urge to unplanned frankness, therefore radio presenters may violate the rules of communication by deliberately creating an artificial situation of communicative discomfort for conversation partners. Communicative failure would be a result of a provocation. That type of tactics may, in some cases, be dominating throughout the whole conversation with the show's guest. The provocation tactics may be used in the very beginning of the show, in the self-presentation situation and in the relevant tactics to explain the selection of the subject topic, seeking to excite certain emotions in the recipient(s), wishing those emotions to cause a desired response. The provocation tactics may be accompanied by indirect discreditation, opposition tactics, tactics of cooperation with listeners and others. Indirect discreditation means the process of discrediting anyone using a third-party opinion (for example, radio listeners). As the basic strategy of radio presenters is to find out the truth, they use those tactics to make the guest argue against the wrong opinions or representations of him / her. The basic communicative technique presenters use in a radio show in such a situation could be claim. Radio presenters often use the specification tactics, thus assisting the guest to withdraw charges and influence the opinions of the listeners in the final part of the show, with a view to leave communicative discomfort and present conclusions. So, the basic strategy of presenters and their tactics should be admitted efficient even in communicative discomfort situations.

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