Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin, 2015, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 79–91
© Khramtsova L. N., 2015
UDC: 
81’373

Communicative situation of a scandal: semantics of plausibility

Khramtsova L. N. 1 (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation)
1 Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
Full text (Open Access) — Downloaded 3070
Abstract: 

The article is devoted to the current tendencies in the semantics of a word scandal in the modern Russian language. The general idea of the article is that changes in the lexical meaning are influenced by ongoing social processes. The mass media discourse is studied because of the mass media and the Internet being the main environment of modern scandals emergence and spreading. The observed tendency in society is to present events with scandalous highlights. Based on the study of mass media texts it is stated that the word scandal expands its semantics, new semantic features appear that are not represented in dictionaries. Special attention is paid to the influence of the contextual environment on the formation of a positive connotation of the word: the author concludes that the word scandal shifts towards semantic fields “success”, “career” and “public relations”. A scandal, as a negative phenomenon meant to be concealed, turns into an attention attracting strategy.
The core components of the lexical meaning of the word scandal are discovered: an event should be new, shocking, sensational, it may be based on inaccurate information, it can serve the purpose of increasing the popularity or improving the rating of a scandal’s participant.

Keywords: 

Semantics, active processes in language, communicative situation, scandal, conflict

https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=24284517

For citation:
Khramtsova L. N. Communicative situation of a scandal: semantics of plausibility. Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin, 2015, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 79–91. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15293/2226-3365.1505.07
References: 
  1. Dmitriev A. V., Sychev A. A. Scandal: socio-philosophical essays. Moscow, CSF and M Publ., 2014, 323 p. (In Russian).
  2. Dem'jankov V. Z. The interpretation of political discourse in mass media. Language of mass media as an object of interdisciplinary research. Ed. N. M. Volodina. Moscow, Moscow State University Publ., 2003, pp. 116–133. (In Russian)
  3. Explanatory dictionary of Russian language: in 4 vol. Ed. D. N. Ushakov. Moscow, Terra Publ., 1996, vol. 4, 752 p. (In Russian).
  4. Ozhegov S. I. Dictionary of the Russian language. Moscow, Russian language Publ., 1987, 750 p. (In Russian).
  5. Big dictionary of the Russian language. Ed. S. A. Kuznetsov. Saint Petersburg, Norint Publ., 1998, 1536 p. (In Russian).
  6. Fasmer M. Etymological dictionary of Russian language: in 4 vol. Moscow, Progress Publ., 1971, vol. 3, 827 p. (In Russian).
  7. Koryakovtseva E. I. Connection between scandal and temptation. Russian speech. 1984, no. 6,
    pp. 61–64. (In Russian).
  8. Dal V. I. Explanatory dictionary of the living Great Russian language: in 4 vol. Moscow, Russian language Publ., 1998, vol. 2, 779 p. (In Russian).
  9. Russian Dictionary associative: in 2 vol. Ed. Yu. N. Karaulov. Moscow, Astrel Publ., AST Publ., 2002, vol. 1: From stimulus to reaction, 784 p. (In Russian).
  10. Volynskaya A. G. Scandal as a subversive practice. Moscow, Publishing house of the Higher School of Economics Publ., 2014, 60 p. (In Russian).
  11. Dem'jankov V. Z. Semiotics of eventfulness in mass media. The Language of Mass Media. Ed.
    N. M. Volodina. Moscow, Alma Mater Publ., Academic Project Publ., 2008, pp. 183–210. (In Russian).
  12. Kochkin M. Yu. Politicalscandal as a lingnguoculturalphenomenon. Cand. Phil. sci. Diss. Volgograd, 2003, 184 p. (In Russian).
  13. Synonyms dictionary: reference book. Ed. by A. P. Evgenyeva. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1976,
    648 p. (In Russian).
  14. Yaroslavtseva E. I. Scandal in the context of communication processes. Sociology of Education, 2012, no. 2, pp. 50–57. (In Russian).
  15. Hashkovsky A. V. PRStrategy. Available at: http://sovetnik.ru/press/2004/01/31/press_21290.html (accessed 30.07.2015). (In Russian).
Date of the publication 09.10.2015