Personal Freedom as a constitutive element of English discourse

Abstract

Identification of sociocultural factors that affect discourse and its ethnocultural features is an important task of discourse analysis. When these factors are ignored or misunderstood, serious problems may arise in intercultural communication. The object of this study is Anglo-English [Wierzbicka 2006a]. We believe such generalization is acceptable when we focus on similarities rather than differences. The aim of the article is to show that the idea of personal freedom permeates English discourse, governs the choice of communicative strategies in different speech acts and can be viewed as a constitutive element of English discourse in general. The study is based on empirical data obtained from questionnaires, interviews and observations, and relies on contextual, pragmatic, and discourse analysis. The study of basic socio-cultural values that have a primary impact on the communicative behaviour of a people and organise its discourse seems to be a promising area for interdisciplinary research. Knowledge of these values promotes better understanding of the mechanisms of discourse organisation, helps to find answers to many theoretical questions and provides guidance for effective use of language in intercultural interaction.

Keywords

• English discourse
• communicative values
• constitutive element
• communicative ethno-style