Negation and negative appraisal as components of communicative conflict: their functions and role in conflict interaction

This article considersnegation and appraisal as communicative means in conflict interaction. Those notions are described as pragmatic ones. The articledeals with their functioning in conflict conversation (the examples are the dialogue fragments of talk shows). Communicative conflict isinteraction between interlocutors. It realizes in case when a person wishes to communicatively inflict the partner and when s/he has theaim of confrontation. Negation forms are the basis of communicative conflict. In broad meaning, negation is rejection of some part oflife. Negative appraisal is a form of negation. Negation is a communicative and psychological mechanism with the help of which theconflict realizes as a communicative pragmatic phenomenon. It performs different functions in conflict conversation: it helps to make aconstructive dialogue, to ignore a statement, or to provoke a conflict. Flat and emotional (also sharp) negation is a sign of communicativeconflict. But the partners reaction, expressed in willingness to clash, is the determinant in this case. If the addressee has identifiedthis signal, s/he should take some measures. S/he ought to agree with the opponent to ignore the statement or to tactfully give proof ofhis/her view without any harm for the partner by doing that. First of all, negation in conflict realizes on the linguistic level. Lexical andgrammatical markers express it. Paralinguistic factors have a great role, too: facial expression, intonation, etc. Moreover, negation andnegative appraisal have another important function. It is manipulation, which can be used by the speaker for different aims. The negationis connected with notions truth and lie. There is a difference between informing about a fact (or a false fact) and expressing an opinionabout it. In communicative practice there is a difference between insult and slander. When the speaker insults somebody, s/he canuse appraisal or emotional statements in this case. If the speaker blames somebody, s/he should rely on facts and it can be verified.Communicative conflict based on the universal category friend - foe. Negation and negative appraisal are communicative means,which differentiate friends and foes by rejecting the latter ones. In addition, the speaker can transmit new information, expandingthe conversation by applying these categories.

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