Haydanka D. Occasional Word Formation in Modern English Cinematic Discourse from Linguo-Cognitive and Communicative-Cognitive Perspectives

The thesis elucidates linguo-cognitive nature as well as communicative-cognitive potential of occasional word-formation in modern English cinematic discourse as represented by the dramedy “Sex and the City” by employing integrated analysis of occasional lexical units for the purpose of defining their role as audial spectacularity markers. The collective author exploits lexical creativity for the sake of construing “quoted” characters, that fact accounting for a large number of occasional lexical units, functioning in occasionally-marked contexts that reflect the characters’ verbal ingenuity (diegetic level), and illocutionary manipulative effect (extradiegetic level). Linguo-cognitive methodological framework enabled us to define the occasional lexical units’ word-formation types, illustrate their implicit senses that accumulate fragments of aggregated, condensed and modified knowledge as well as model linguo-cognitive meaning construction of the relevant lexemes. Occasional lexical units serve as manipulative impact intensifiers that affect overhearers’ life principles. Integrated analysis of occasional word-formation communicative-cognitive potential is employed to define its role in realizаtion of communicative devices, tactics and strategies, contributing to construing a likeable and memorable character by means of lexical formations that lay emphasis on stereotypical female problems. The two key strategies are the manipulative self-presentation strategy and manipulative other characters’ presentation. The former is realized by means of expressive nominations, forming figures of quality, quantity and expressive syntax. The latter has a jocular undercurrent, mocking stereotypical problems of target audience, verbalized by occasional units that express sarcasm, witticism. Discursive realization of both strategies varies in accordance with the structural parts of the dramedy and collective author’s intentions. Keywords: cinematic discourse, dramedy, occasional word-formation, occasional lexical unit, linguo-cognitive construing, communicative-cognitive potential, communicative manipulative strategy, communicative tactic, communicative device.