From medical dialogue to existential conflict: The dynamics of speech genres in A. P. Chekhov “Enemies”

Abstract

The article presents the analysis of the chains of speech genres in A. P. Chekhov’s short story “Enemies”. It is argued that the speech genres which formalize the social relationships of the main characters of the story lead to an understanding of the concept of the work, as well as reveal the essence of the title of the story. It is noted that the verbal interaction of the main characters of the narrative is a system of interconnected speech genres. The article describes the speech genres that have developed in the context of the situation of verbal communication between a doctor and a patient, specifically the speech genre of a medical complaint forming the core of institutional discourse, as well as speech genres that go beyond the core area: speech genres of pleading, refusal, appeal, silence, unburdening the soul, payment for medical services. It is stated that integrating into the medical discourse, these speech genres form a functional unity with it. The author concludes that the speech genres of medical discourse reproduce the process of professional speech interaction and qualify both individual and socially conditioned qualities of the originator character and the recipient character, as well as the situation of their conversation. Invective speech genres of accusations and insults inherent in ordinary (non-institutional) discourse are characterized as conflicting speech genres indicating the status-role degradation of institutional relations. Special attention is paid to the speech genres of pleading and the speech genre of the unburdening the soul, the peculiarities of their functioning and language aspects in connection with the general cultural values and traditions of Russian spiritual culture. The article also specifies the role of the author’s remarks in the description of communicative situations.