On the roots of differences in decoding speech genres and communicative strategies by the speaker and the listener

This paper explores the underlying causes of divergent approaches to decoding speech genres and communicative strategies between the addresser and the addressee. Emphasis is placed on the active contribution of the listener to interpreting the actions of the speaker, as manifested in reactive speech actions. The study introduces two distinct categories of speech genres: those identified by the speaker and those perceived by the listener. The analysis suggests that a speech genre may be interpreted differently depending on the participant’s perspective. The listener’s perception is governed by an evaluation of the utterance’s content based on three parameters: utility (useful vs. useless), affect (pleasant vs. unpleasant), and engagement (interesting vs. uninteresting). Furthermore, the significance of the speaker’s persona plays a critical role in the addressee’s interpretation. While ideal communication, characterized by a cooperative strategy, strives for alignment in genre interpretation, several divergent strategies of perception emerge. These include: (1) statements evoking curiosity through “pattern-breaking” (humor, jokes, or language games); (2) statements offering pleasant communication (compliments, approval) or aversive incentive talk (hints, provocations, reproaches); and (3) statements providing useful or redundant information. Ultimately, a discrepancy often arises between the addresser’s intended communicative strategy and the addressee’s actual perception, shaped by the perceived value of both the information and the speaker’s personality.

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