Specific Features of the Dramaturgic Tonality of Discourse (the Case of Corporate News Discourse)

Abstract

This article analyses the particular type of the discourse category of tonality, namely, dramaturgic tonality. Being a pragmatic parameter of discourse, dramaturgic tonality has a cognitive nature and is culturally and socially significant. This allows us to resort to the analytical tools of different branches of the humanities. Dramaturgic tonality is characterized as being performative, evaluative and targeted. It is based on the linguosemiotic category of theatricality and permeates the structure of the text. The paper identifies the prototypical function of dramaturgic tonality: achieving an understanding and interpretation of the message by the addressee as similar as possible to those intended by the addresser. The author of this article suggests analysing dramaturgic tonality in the framework of the presentational theory of discourse, as the main function of tonality is strategic structuring of communication. Dramaturgic tonality profiles the value orientations of the subject of a discourse, demonstrating the meanings to the addressee. At the same time, it encourages the addressee to actively interpret and generate meanings. Dramaturgic tonality acts as a mechanism for managing the effect produced and becomes important in the context of social interaction. News articles published on the website of Northern (Arctic) Federal University were used as the material for linguistic analysis, which identified linguistic devices actualizing the effect of dramaturgic tonality. In the type of discourse under study, the discursive development of a communicative event is characterized by predictability. The author considers this to be a manifestation of the mechanism of dramaturgic tonality relevant to this type of discourse (media discourse). A conclusion is made that the architectonics of a discourse fragment, the role status of the subject of the discourse, the modality frame
of the message and its expressiveness are the main means of actualizing dramaturgic tonality.