Context of communication as a component of communication process

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УДК 811.111'42

I.V. Sokolova

Context of communication as a component of communication process

Modern society makes new requirements to the study of human communication, resulting in the shift of research accents from interpersonal communication to mass and cross-cultural communications, from functional features of objects under research to their system and operational characteristics, making deeper investigations into the role and place of a single person in the process of communication. Communication process and its components are objects of deep research for different sciences, including psychology, marketing, theory of public speaking and linguistics.

Researches of different aspects of the process of communication are of great importance and make the topicality of our analysis. This article provides some results of investigation into the process of communication. The aim of our research is to analyze advertising discourse functioning in the context of the Internet. This aim involves the following tasks of research: analysis of definitions of verbal communication, context of communication, and the category of intertextuality; study of functioning of Internet advertising discourse in the specific context of Internet; making deductions as to the importance of context of communication for fulfilling the purposes of communication process.

Verbal (language) communication is a complex informational sign system, in bounds of which individual, national and international language components interrelate. In its wider meaning communication is defined as the exchange of meanings or information between people through common system of symbols (signs) or codes.

Соколова І. В. Контекст комунікації як компонент комунікативного процесу

Комунікативний процес та його компоненти є об'єктами досліджень у межах різних наук, у тому числі й сучасного мовознавства. Аналіз різних аспектів процесу комунікації є дуже важливими для усвідомлення людської комунікації і це становить актуальність нашого дослідження. Дана стаття представляє деякі результати вивчення процесу функціонування дискурсу Інтернет реклами. Інтернет реклама визначається як тип дискурсу, який характеризується такими ознаками: чітка прагматична настанова, репрезентація учасників мовленнєвого акту мовними та позамовними засобами, надання актуальної інформації у текстовому компоненті реклами, специфічний контекст функціонування. Інтернет реклама є, в основному, одностороннім комунікативним процесом, хоча Інтернет середовище створює умови для інтерактивності. Інтернет також надає можливості для залучення комплексу перцептивних можливостей - звуку, тексту, відео та графічних іміджів. Інтерактивність,, разом із мультимедійним потенціалом Інтернету, надають розширених можливостей для сприйняття та усвідомлення реклами. Дискурс Інтернет реклами, однією з конститутивних характеристик якого є функціонування в специфічному оточенні, вважається одним з найбільш ефективних з огляду на комплексний вплив на реципієнта. Контекст мовної комунікації є одним з найважливіших аспектів реалізації прагматичної мети комунікації - здійснення впливу на реципієнта.

Ключові слова: контекст комунікації, дискурс Інтернет реклами, комунікативний процес, комунікація за допомогою комп'ютера, інтертекстуальність.

Соколова И. В. Контекст коммуникации как компонент коммуникативного процесса

Коммуникативный процесс и его компоненты являются объектами исследований различных наук, в том числе и современного языкознания. Анализ различных аспектов процесса коммуникации очень важен для осознания коммуникации в целом и именно в этом заключается актуальность нашего исследования. В данной статье представлены некоторые результаты исследования процесса функционирования дискурса Интернет рекламы. Интернет реклама - это тип дискурса, который характеризуется четкой прагматической установкой, репрезентацией участников речевого акта языковыми и внеязыковыми средствами, предоставлением актуальной информации в текстовом компоненте рекламы, специфической средой функционирования. Интернет реклама, в основном, является односторонним коммуникативным процессом, однако Интернет создает условия для интерактивности. Интернет также предоставляет возможности для расширения комплекса персептивных возможностей - использования звука, текста, видео и графических имиджей. Интерактивность, вместе с мультимедийным потенциалом Интернета, расширяют возможности восприятия и понимания рекламного текста. Дискурс Интернет рекламы, одной из конститутивных характеристик которого является функционирование в специфической среде, считается одним из наиболее эффективных в плане комплексного влияния на реципиента. Контекст языковой коммуникации является одним из наиболее важных аспектов реализации прагматической цели коммуникации - реализация влияния на реципиента.

Ключевые слова: контекст коммуникации, дискурс Интернет рекламы, коммуникативный процесс, коммуникация посредством компьютера, интертекстуальность.

Sokolova I. V. Context of communication as a component of communication process

Communication process and its components are objects of deep research for different sciences. Researches of different aspects of the process of communication are of great importance and make the topicality of our analysis. This article provides some results of investigation into the process of communication, namely processes of advertising discourse functioning in the context of the Internet. Internet advertising is defined as type of discourse with the following peculiar characteristics: clear pragmatic purpose; representation of the speech act participants by verbal and non-verbal means; up-to-date information; specific context of functioning. Internet advertising is mostly one-way communication process, though Internet environment provides the opportunity for interactivity. Internet provides great opportunities for combination of several perceptive effects - sound, text and image (so called multimedia features). Interactivity, combined with multimedia potential, provides enhanced opportunities for advertisements' perception and comprehension. Internet advertising discourse, one of the main constituent characteristics of which is functioning in specific environment - computer- mediated context, is considered to be one of the most effective in terms of producing complex influence on the recipient. Context of verbal communication is one of the main aspects for fulfilling pragmatic purpose of communication - the purpose of influence on the recipient.

Key words: context of communication, Internet advertising discourse, communication process, computer-mediated communication, intertextuality.

Modern linguistics define verbal communication as production, exchange and interpretation of messages by communicants (senders and receivers of messages) by means of a language as a particular code, together with extra-linguistic codes aiming at making changes in the receivers' behavior or mentality. Communication process, in its turn, refers to the form of objectification of verbal communication, in which communicators are involved into verbal contact by means of linguistic and extra-linguistic codes, producing and interpreting a discourse according to communication purposes, taking into consideration the context of communication, using certain communicational strategies and tactics for meeting communication goals. [1, p. 31].

Thus, communication process as a socio-linguistic complex covers: 1) communicators; 2) verbal contact; 3) verbal code, organized in the form of a message; 4) context of communication; 5) communicative strategies and tactics; 6) non-verbal codes.

For the purpose of analysis of human communication the question of contexts and environments of communication process is extremely important. Communication context refers to the environment in which human communication takes place. Context is defined as a number of extra-textual elements that might be accounted for in an analysis of advertising and advertising perception [2, p. 6]. Context is a separate element of the linguistic aspect of discourse, which is defined as a cognitive and communicative activity, which is a unity of the process and the result and includes extra- linguistic and purely linguistic aspects [3, p. 70].

Every message (oral or written) begins with the context. Context is a very broad field that covers different aspects. One of the aspects of context is country, culture or organization. Every organization, culture and country communicates information in their own way.

In public speaking the following types of communication on the basis of different contexts are identified: intrapersonal, interpersonal, small-group communication, organizational communication, intercultural, mass-mediated and computer-mediated communication. All these types of public communication have their peculiar features and means of fulfilling their pragmatic purpose.

One of the aspects of context is external stimulus. The sources of external stimulus include such extra-linguistic environments as meeting, letter, memo, telephone call, fax, note, email, a casual conversation. These external stimuli motivate receivers to respond in oral or written form.

Internal stimulus is another aspect of communication context. Internal stimulus covers opinion, attitude, likes, dislikes, emotions, experience, education and confidence of a receiver. These all have multifaceted influence on the way people communicate their ideas.

A sender can communicate his ideas effectively by considering all aspects of context mentioned above. From the other hand, receivers are able to interpret messages more effectively when they are aware of the context of communication.

In modern linguistics communication context is also defined as pragmatic context, referring to theoretical and cognitive model of different situations (physical and biological, psychological, social, personal, etc.), which influences fulfillment of illocutive power of an utterance. [4, p. 19].

Pragmatic context covers special conditions in which communicational situation occurs and which can influence the process of fulfillment of the speech act positively as well as negatively. In the process of the research we have come to conclusion that pragmatic context components include: 1) conditions of factual discourse functioning; 2) quantitative and qualitative characteristics of existing obstacles; 3) intellectual level of a recipient; 4) psychological conditions of a recipient.

Researches of the process of communication also involve investigations into the functioning of discourse, which is defined as a type of communicative activity, which is the unity of the process and the result, and covers nonverbal and verbal processes. Main characteristics of the discourse are the purpose of the speech act, participants of the act, information and common conversational principles. One of the most important factors of discourse functioning is the context of textual realization.

In its turn, discourse analysis is defined as research of the language, which functions naturally, in the context it is used. Discourse analysis in not purely quantitative or qualitative scientific method, but a means of asking questions in bounds of a certain quantitative or qualitative method.

Discourse analysts are mainly interested in the language choice, which is made by a speaker to fulfill its concrete social purpose. Discourse analysis can be used as a structural instrument for the analysis of text organization, as well as ethnographical tool for expanding comprehension of a certain culture.

Our research aims at investigating Internet discourse, one of the main constituent characteristics of which is functioning in specific environment - computer-mediated context. Computer-mediated communication is communication through computer technology especially through the use of the Internet. One of the major differences between mass communication and computer communication is the latter's ability to transcend geographic limitations. Computer-mediated communication provides great opportunities for creating complex influence on recipients by various possible means and through combination of different channels. It is one of the contexts, in which communication can occur immediately, as well as could be interrupted for unlimited period of time and continued later. This feature gives to computer- mediated communication unrestricted power of influence and imposes certain rules on the choice of linguistic and extra-linguistic means of influence.

One of the means of making an impact on consciousness and emotions of recipients is Internet advertising. Internet advertising, having appeared not long time ago, takes the prominent position among other types of advertising due to rapid development of the Internet. From the other hand, Internet advertising is defined as one of the most effective means of advertising thanks to its peculiar characteristics and a unique context of functioning.

Internet advertising is defined as type of discourse with the following peculiar characteristics: clear pragmatic purpose; representation of the speech act participants by verbal and non-verbal means; up-to-date information; specific context of functioning. Communicative purposes of Internet advertisements' producers are fulfilled through discourse strategies and correlate with mental concepts and linguistic means of their representation. As a type of discourse, Internet advertising is under the influence of general Grice's cooperative principles of Quality, Quantity, Relevance and Manner.

Internet adverts (IA) differ greatly in objects of advertizing, style, structure, the use of text and connotation. One of the common features for these samples of advertizing is common environment, which has certain influence upon the other features of IT. Functional environment is considered to be a key factor organizing the text. It defines the usage of linguistic and extra-linguistic means of influence upon the audience. Advertisements are becoming increasingly more complex and sophisticated. Due to the large scale production of goods there is an increased need to create a market for products that people do not really need. Communicative purpose of IA producers is to motivate purchasing of a definite product by linguistic and extra-linguistic means, which in this case are provided by sophisticated hardware and software.

Internet advertising, as well as any other type of advertising, is mostly one-way communication process, though Internet environment provides the opportunity for interactivity. Interactivity, combined with multimedia potential, provides enhanced opportunities for advertising perception and comprehension. The structure of modern IA is complex and multilayer. Information is presented at the linguistic level, as well as at levels of graphical images (fixed and moving) and sound. In general, presented information makes the highest possible impact upon the audience, which was actually aimed at by IA producers.

Effective advertisements create associative links in the consciousness of a recipient, making internal stimuli to work. A recipient recollects his previous experience and starts thinking about future success, happiness, richness, etc., which he/she could get together with the product. As it was mentioned before, intellectual level of the recipient (his/her basis knowledge, amount of thesaurus, level of education) are also important for effective advertisement perception. Decoding the text message is made on the basis of life, cultural and historical experience of the recipient. The higher intellectual level of the recipient, the better text interpretation and identification of text information.

Context of IA functioning is also represented through the category of intertextuality, which is characterized as a form-making and sense-making interaction between different types of discourse. The main signposts of the category of intertextuality are quotations, allusions, aphorisms, elements of other styles. As well intertextuality includes references to the previous experience of the recipient, appeal to his/her basic knowledge, emotions and feelings.

An effective method of creating intertextual context is the usage of “precedent texts”. Precedent texts are defined as a linguistic and cultural phenomenon; these are texts which belong to the fund of basic knowledge and historical memory of society. Examples of precedent texts are proverbs, sayings, lines from famous poems and songs, quotations, parasitological units, etc. Informative load of such texts, effectiveness of its' interpretation is closely connected with intellectual level of the recipient.

Internet provides great opportunities for combination of several perceptive effects - sound, text and image (so called multimedia features). It is realized by means of dynamic display, when you can not only read the advertisement, by also watch a movie, get linked to other sites with additional information and references to other users of the product, make your own comments. It is the main extra-linguistic factor of IAs' functioning, which is not accessible for other types of advertisements. Actually, this feature expands boundaries of an advertisement to an unlimited scale, representing multilayer character of information perception.

To sum up, context of verbal communication is one of the main aspects for fulfilling pragmatic purpose of communication - the purpose of influence on the recipient. For communicators it is important to analyze it and take into consideration for more effective communication. Internet advertising discourse, one of the main constituent characteristics of which is functioning in specific environment - computer-mediated context, is considered to be one of the most effective in terms of producing complex influence on the recipient. Researches into the problems of communication process continue to be up-to- date and topical as still are not completely disclosed and are important for general effectiveness of human communication.

communication discourse verbal

References

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2. Warton Ch. Text and Context: An Analysis of Advertising Reception / Warton Ch. - Newcastle, 2005. - 297 p.

3. Шевченко И. С. Историческая динамика прагматики предложения: английское вопросительное предложение 16-20 вв / И. С. Шевченко. - Харьков : Константа, 1998. - 168 с.

4. Дейк Т. А. ван. Язык. Познание. Коммуникация / Т. А. Дейк [пер. с англ]. - М. : Прогресс, 1989. - 321 с.

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