Transformation of the Genre of “Congratulation” in the Eastern Slavic Countries Presidential Discourse

The article deals with the specificity of transformation of the “congratulation” genre in the presidential discourse of Eastern Slavic countries on the material of the New Year congratulation of V. Putin, A. Lukashenko and P. Poroshenko. The authors describe the mechanisms of interaction and struggle of the holiday and presidential discourses within the framework of the genre. The “congratulation” genre in the presidential discourse is becoming a tool for preserving power. It aims at at uniting the nation, as well as promoting and actualizing a political idea. In this regard, along with the values of the holiday picture of the world, the congratulation actializes institutional attitudes of the head of state. At the same time, the primary goal of congratulation as of a nuclear genre of holiday discourse - to strengthen the addressee's positive emotional state -becomes secondary. While maintaining the traditional structure of the genre (appeal, congratulation, wish), the presidential congratulation acquires an informational part aimed at presenting the activities of the politician. It presents a harmonious picture of the world, modeled by the existing political power. The content of the information part, as well as other compositional parts of the congratulations, is conditioned by the idea of the New Year. However, the political attitudes of the president, the status of the institution of authority, and the current political and economic agenda in the country are of great importance for the content formation.

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