The conflict speech situation in the intergenerational discourse (based on the novel by Douglas Coupland Generation X. Tales for an Accelerated Culture)

Introduction. The conflict potential in the interaction of generations attracts high attention of specialists nowadays. The interdisciplinary character of the problem implies the ability of its investigation by linguists and philologists. The linguistic research of conflict situations occurring between generations must be developed. The paper e analyzes the novel with vivid intergenerational contradictions and reveals the ways of how such linguistic research can be realized. Materials and Methods. The paper is based on the postmodern novel of the Canadian writer and reporter Douglas Coupland “Generation X. Tales for an Accelerated Culture” (1991). The methodology includes synchronic-diachronic method and the regressive progressive method of the cultural hermeneutics, discourse analysis, lexical-grammatical and stylistic analysis. Analysis. The research reveals the use of the concept “generation” in contemporary science and in the analyzed novel by Douglas Coupland. It also displays the characteristics of the investigated discourse type. The axiological and pragmalinguistic traits of the speech behaviour of the intergenerational conflict participants are analyzed. The role of conflictprovoking words is revealed. The speech portraits of the characters invoked in the confrontation are included in the research. Results. The analysis displays the main language instruments implied by author in the description of intergenerational conflict. The verbal and non-verbal speech phenomena and the situation context take part in the conflict representation. 

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