THE STRATEGY OF EVASION FROM DIRECT RESPONSE IN CONVERSATIONAL DISCOURSE

THE STRATEGY OF EVASION FROM DIRECT RESPONSE IN CONVERSATIONAL DISCOURSE

Author:  Gayane R. Vlasyan

Affiliation:  Chelyabinsk State University

Abstract: 
The research aims at analyzing the communicative strategy of evasion in conversational discourse.

The keen interest of linguists to dialogical speech and the problems of communication in general, can be explained due to the growing understanding of the importance of dialogical research to linguistic science. Dialogue plays a central role in human life. “To live means to participate in dialogue: to ask questions, to heed, to respond, to agree and so forth. In this dialogue a person participates wholly and throughout his whole life: with his eyes, lips, hands, soul, with his whole body and deeds” [Bakhtin 1986].

In conversational discourse the interlocutors use a variety of communicative strategies, one of which is the strategy of evasion from direct response.

A communicative strategy can be defined as a systematic, well-planned series of actions aimed at achieving certain objectives through the use of communicative techniques and approaches, verbal and non-verbal means.

The strategy of evasion is a line of verbal behavior, which allows to avoid the need to respond immediately to the interlocutor’s question, to veil the true meaning of the response or even to avoid a direct answer. The strategy of evasion gives an opportunity to realize a diplomatic scenario of interaction as in the following example: “Now, what do you think would be a fair price?”“Why not get Dumetrius’ opion?” (Glasworthy J. Swang Song,p. 163).

The strategy is implemented by the following tactics:

1.  The desire to gain time to think about the answer to the preceding question.

2.  The rejection of the undesirable question.

3.  The tactics of “boomerang” – when a question is redirected to the speaker him/herself.

4.  The desire “to test the waters” for further conversation.

5.  The tactics of irony.

6.  The tactics of hint.

7.  The tactics of condition.

These and other communicative strategies and tactics used in the dialogue are connected with the speaker’s intention to influence the course of a conversation, adjust to its development. In general, they form a common format of the dialogue flow in natural language environment.

Keywords:  evasion strategy, conversational discourse, dialogue

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Pages:  76-81