Tatiana А. Bak

Master student of the Russian Philology and Documentation Science Department of the Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical University

Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical University

(Tula, Russia)

Abstract. The speech etiquette of the Russian nobility that is largely recorded in the Russian classical literature can become a reference when studying and codifying the modern etiquette of communication. The article provides an analysis of speech etiquette situations with a general conventional name “Apologizing” in L. Tolstoy’s ‘Anna Karenina’. This analysis gives an opportunity to broaden understanding of the typology of such situations and of the classification attributes of presenting one’s apologies (metacommunicative and conventional apologies) and requests for forgiveness (substantive apologies). The article deals with the peculiarities of functioning of speech etiquette units and other verbal means used in these situations. The author reveals a considerable role of the paralinguistic component in presenting one’s apologies and requests for forgiveness. The work particularly considers the expression of the intentional meaning of the statement in indirect apologies as well as in a prayer. The article provides examples of the speech-behavioural tactics of delict aggravation and minimization. The article regards the peculiarity of the so-called ‘substitutive apologies’ in the novel is examined. The examples from the text demonstrate the difference between metacommunicative, conventional and substantive apologies in terms of the required verbal reaction of the addressee. The author compares the implementation of presenting one’s apologies and requests for forgiveness in the aristocratic speech etiquette with the modern etiquette of communication. The author draws a conclusion that the difference is in sociostylistic characteristics and usage frequency of some etiquette formulas: a number of speech etiquette units used in the ‘Apologizing’ situation in the aristocratic etiquette of communication are marked as extra polite and are untypical for customary usage. Moreover, there is also a difference in frequency of using apologies in communication that is determined by frequency of rude and polite intercourse at that time and nowadays.
Keywords: speech etiquette; metacommunicative apologies; conventional apologies; substantive apologies; request for forgiveness; the nobility.

Full text of the article (PDF)


For citation: Bak, TA 2020, ‘Speech etiquette situation “apologizing” in L. Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina’, Tula Scientific Bulletin. History. Linguistics, issue 2 (2), pp. 63–74, URL: http://tula-vestnik.ru/pdf/2020/vipusk_2_15_12_20.pdf (in Russ.)

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