Interdiscourse communication: the linguistic relativity perspective

Abstract

The paper concerns the phenomenon of interdiscourse communication and views it from the perspective of Linguistic Relativity Theory. The goal of the paper is to analyse the linguistic behaviour of non-native language users, who apply the English language for instrumental purposes in interaction, which establishes in multinational discourse among interactants having different cultural backgrounds. The paper reports on some of the research results that were acquired in the period from 2011 to 2013 during the ERASMUS Intensive Programme project Cross-Cultural Competence and Interaction . The focus of the study was on analysing the linguistic and pragmatic strategies prioritised by the tertiary level Latvian and Lithuanian interactants for whom the English language served as the instrument of communication in the multinational discourse community, which was constructed of students from Latvia, Lithuania and Turkey. The research findings reveal that non-native language users having the cultural background of the Baltic States construct their own mode of interaction related to the linguistic behaviour, in which the interactants apply clarity and directness as the prevailing strategies of interdiscourse communication.

Keywords

• интердискурсивная коммуникация
• лингвистическая относительность
• прагмалингвистическая и коммуникативная неудачи