Speech etiquette. Speech etiquette: subtleties of communication culture The evolution of communication in Russian speech etiquette

Good manners - one of the most important indicators of a well-mannered, cultured person. From early childhood, we are instilled with certain behavior patterns. A cultured person must constantly follow the norms of behavior established in society - observe etiquette.Knowledge and adherence to etiquette standards allows you to feel confident and free in any society.

The word "etiquette" came into the Russian language from French in the 18th century, when the court life of an absolute monarchy was taking shape and broad political and cultural ties between Russia and other states were established.

Etiquette (French)etiquette ) - a set of rules of conduct and treatment accepted in certain social circles (at the courts of monarchs, in diplomatic circles, etc.). Typically, etiquette reflects the form of behavior, manners, and rules of politeness adopted in given society inherent in a particular tradition. Etiquette can act as an indicator of the values ​​of different historical eras.

IN early age When parents teach a child to say hello, say thank you, and ask for forgiveness for pranks, learning occurs basic formulas of speech etiquette.

Speech ethics - This is a system of rules of speech behavior, norms for the use of language means in certain conditions. Speech communication etiquette plays an important role for a person’s successful activity in society, his personal and professional growth, and the building of strong family and friendly relationships. To master the etiquette of verbal communication, knowledge from various humanitarian fields is required: linguistics, history, cultural studies, psychology. To more successfully master cultural communication skills, they use such a concept as speech etiquette formulas.

In everyday life, we constantly communicate with people.

Any communication process consists of certain stages:

Starting a conversation (greeting/introduction);

Main part, conversation;

The final part of the conversation.

Each stage of communication is accompanied by certain cliches, traditional words and fixed expressions - speech etiquette formulas. These formulas exist in the language in ready-made form and are provided for all occasions.

To the formulas of speech etiquette words of politeness include (sorry, thank you, please), greetings and farewells (hello, greetings, goodbye), appeals (you, you, ladies and gentlemen). Greetings came to us from the west: good evening, good afternoon, good morning, and from European languages ​​- farewells: all the best, all the best.

The sphere of speech etiquette includes ways of expressing joy, sympathy, grief, guilt, accepted in a given culture. For example, in some countries it is considered indecent to complain about difficulties and problems, while in others it is unacceptable to talk about one’s achievements and successes. The range of conversation topics varies across cultures.

In the narrow sense of the word speech etiquette can be defined as a system of linguistic means in which etiquette relations are manifested. Elements and formulas of this system can be implemented at different language levels:

At the level of vocabulary and phraseology: special words, set expressions, forms of address (thank you, excuse me, hello, comrades, etc.)

At the grammatical level: for polite address, use plurals and interrogative sentences instead of imperatives (You won't tell me how to get there...)

On a stylistic level: maintaining the qualities of good speech (correctness, precision, richness, appropriateness, etc.)

At the intonation level: using calm intonation even when expressing demands, dissatisfaction, or irritation.

At the level of orthoepy: use of full forms of words: з hello instead of hello, please instead of please, etc.

On organizational and communicative level: listen carefully and do not interrupt or interfere in someone else’s conversation.

Speech etiquette formulas are characteristic of both literary and colloquial, and rather reduced (slang) style. The choice of one or another speech etiquette formula depends mainly on the communication situation. Indeed, the conversation and manner of communication can vary significantly depending on: the personality of the interlocutors, the place of communication, the topic of conversation, time, motive and goals.

A place of communication may require participants in a conversation to comply with certain rules of speech etiquette established specifically for the chosen place. Communication at a business meeting, social dinner, or in the theater will differ from behavior at a youth party, in the restroom, etc.

Speech etiquette depends on the participants in the conversation. The personality of the interlocutors primarily influences the form of address: you or you. Form You indicates the informal nature of communication, You - to respect and greater formality in conversation.

Depending on the topic of conversation, time, motive or purpose of communication, we use different conversational techniques.

INTRODUCTION

What is meant by speech etiquette is used in the speech of each of us every day and repeatedly. Perhaps these are the most common expressions: we speak to someone many times a day, greet our acquaintances, and sometimes strangers, say goodbye to people, thank someone, apologize to someone, congratulate someone, congratulate someone we wish good luck or give someone a compliment, we condole with someone, sympathize with someone, ask, offer, etc. This is speech etiquette, which is a set of verbal forms of courtesy, politeness, that is, something that cannot be done without.

In the process of education and socialization, a person, becoming an individual and increasingly mastering the language, learns the ethical norms of relationships with others, including speech relationships, in other words, masters the culture of communication. But for this, he needs to navigate the communication situation, the role characteristics of the partner, correspond to his own social characteristics and satisfy the expectations of other people, strive for the “image” that has developed in the mind of a native speaker, act according to the rules of the communicative roles of the speaker or listener, construct the text in accordance with stylistic norms, master oral and written forms of communication.

Mastery of speech etiquette contributes to the acquisition of authority, generates trust and respect. Knowing the rules of speech etiquette and observing them allows a person to feel confident and at ease, and not experience awkwardness and difficulties in communication. Strict adherence to speech etiquette in business communication leaves clients and partners with a favorable impression of the organization and maintains its positive reputation.

1. THE CONCEPT OF SPEECH ETIQUETTE AND ITS FUNCTIONS

The concept of “etiquette” is a philosophical, ethical concept. The origin of the word “etiquette” is a French word. Initially it meant a product tag, a label, then it began to be called a court ceremony. It is in this meaning that the word “etiquette” has become widespread in German, Polish, Russian and other languages. The word “etiquette” entered the Russian language in the 18th century, under Peter I, when broad cultural and political ties were established in Russia with other states. At this time, special etiquette manuals were created for young people. Etiquette determines all our behavior.

These are not only the rules that we follow at the table or at a party, these are generally all the norms of our relationships. With the help of such rules learned from childhood, we regulate our relationships with others, establish or discover in communication relationships like: “senior - junior - equal.” So, speech etiquette is a set of requirements accepted in a given culture for the form, content, order, nature and situational relevance of statements. Culture of Russian speech: Textbook for universities / Ed. OK. Graudina. - M.: Publishing house Norma, 2001. P. 319. .

Well-known researcher of speech etiquette N.I. Formanovskaya gives the following definition: “Speech etiquette refers to the regulating rules of speech behavior, a system of nationally specific stereotypical, stable communication formulas accepted and prescribed by society to establish contact between interlocutors, maintain and interrupt contact in the chosen tonality.” The study of speech etiquette, in her opinion, occupies a special position at the intersection of linguistics, theory and cultural history, psychology and other humanities disciplines.

In the broad sense of the word, speech etiquette characterizes almost any successful act of communication, therefore speech etiquette is associated with the so-called postulates of speech communication, which make the interaction of communication participants possible and successful. These are postulates - postulates of quality (the message should not be false or without proper foundation); quantity (the message should not be too short or too lengthy); relationship (the message must be relevant to the addressee) and method (the message must be clear, concise, and not contain words and expressions that are incomprehensible to the addressee). Violation of one or more of these postulates to one degree or another entails a communicative failure.

Speech etiquette in the narrow sense of the word can be characterized as a system of linguistic means in which etiquette relations are manifested. Aleksandrov D.N. Rhetoric: Tutorial for universities. - M.: UNITY - Dana, 1999. P. 217. . Elements of this system can be implemented at different language levels: at the level of vocabulary and phraseology: special words and set expressions (Thank you, Please, I beg your pardon, Excuse me, etc.), as well as specialized forms of address (Mr., Comrade, etc. .); at the grammatical level: using the plural for polite address (including the pronoun you), using interrogative sentences instead of imperative sentences (Won’t you tell me what time it is)?

Could you move a little? etc.): at the stylistic level: refusal to use words that directly name obscene and shocking objects and phenomena and use euphemisms instead of these words; at the intonation level: the use of polite intonation (for example, the phrase: Please, close the door - can sound with different intonation depending on whether it implies a polite request or an unceremonious demand); at the level of orthoepy: use: Hello instead of Hello, Please instead of Please, etc.; at the organizational and communication level: prohibition on interrupting the interlocutor, interfering in someone else’s conversation, etc.

Speech etiquette is the rules of speech behavior developed by society, mandatory for all members of society, nationally specific, firmly fixed in the system of speech formulas, but still historically changeable Formanovskaya N.I. You said: "Hello!" (Speech etiquette in our communication). - M.: Znanie, 1989. P. 5. Speech etiquette talks about how to behave in various extralinguistic contexts, how to correctly establish and maintain verbal, and, accordingly, friendly business contact. Speech etiquette is associated with the culture of speech behavior and is inseparable from the communication situation in which it is used.

Speech etiquette performs certain functions:

1) first of all, it is necessary to highlight the contact-establishing function (it is also called both sociative and phatic - from the Latin “to speak”). This function manifests itself in such speech acts when the speaker attracts the attention of the interlocutor, prepares him for the actual communication of information, that is, this function serves the verbal contact of the interlocutors. After all, in fact, when we say to our interlocutor: Who do I see! - We don’t have a task to meaningfully exchange knowledge about who exactly the person saw. This is just a signal: I remember you, I’m glad to meet you unexpectedly, our relationship is relaxed, etc.

2) appellative, or calling function. When we say: Citizen! or: Excuse me, please, how do I get there? - we have no other goal than to attract the attention of the interlocutor, to call him for further conversation.

3) the calling, appellative function is associated with the function of orientation towards the addressee in connection with his role positions in speech interactions. This function is also called conative. In fact, we can say to one: Dear Alexander Ivanovich!, to another (or in other conditions): Sasha, and to a third, (or in other conditions): Sanya. And all this will depend on who and to whom, in what circumstances and under what conditions mutual relations it says. The conative function is closely related to the concept of politeness.

4) the function of expressing one’s will in relation to the interlocutor, influencing him (this function is also called voluntary). When we say to someone standing at the door, for example: Come in, please!, we are influencing the behavior of the interlocutor, encouraging him to enter. At the same time, we invite him not to “pass” (past or along something), but rather to come closer. Is it difficult for you to move? - we ask for action, encourage a person to be active, while at the same time not expecting him to answer “whether it is difficult” for him or not.

5) and, finally, the emotive function associated with the expression of a person’s emotions, feelings, and relationships.

We say to the interlocutor: I am so glad to see you; Happy to meet you; Very nice... And all speech etiquette in general is a means of expressing an emotionally significant relationship Formanovskaya N.I. You said: "Hello!" (Speech etiquette in our communication). - M.: Knowledge, 1989. P. 16. . Speech etiquette has national specifics. Each nation has created its own system of rules of speech behavior. For example, in Russian society Of particular value are such qualities as tact, courtesy, tolerance, goodwill, and restraint. Tactfulness is an ethical norm that requires the speaker to be able to understand the interlocutor, avoid inappropriate questions, and discuss topics that may be unpleasant for him.

Consideration lies in the ability to anticipate possible questions and wishes of the interlocutor, the willingness to inform him in detail on all topics relevant to the conversation. Tolerance means being calm about possible differences of opinion and avoiding harsh criticism of the views of your interlocutor. You should respect the opinions of other people and try to understand why they have this or that point of view. Closely related to such a character quality as tolerance is self-control - the ability to calmly respond to unexpected or tactless questions and statements from an interlocutor.

Goodwill is necessary both in relation to the interlocutor and in the entire structure of the conversation: in its content and form, in intonation and choice of words. That. respect for another person, politeness and goodwill helps to verbally express speech etiquette; it, when used appropriately and in moderation, ultimately forms a culture of behavior.

2. SUSTAINABLE COMMUNICATION FORMULAS

Speech etiquette is socially defined and nationally specific rules of behavior, implemented in a system of stable formulas and expressions (stereotypical statements) used in situations of establishing, maintaining and breaking contact with an interlocutor, in the You - You system of forms of communication, in the choice of socio-stylistic tonality of communication with the orientation of the addressee and the communication situation as a whole Culture of Russian speech: Encyclopedic dictionary - reference book / Ed. L.Yu. Ivanova. - M.: Flint; Science, 2003. P. 575. . Speech etiquette is a special area of ​​language and speech, and therefore a professional look at it from the point of view of linguistics is necessary.

When people talk to each other, they create some kind of text. This text is constructed according to linguistic laws, and individual sentences - statements in it interact from the grammatical and semantic aspects. Both texts and their elements - statements - can be very diverse depending on various reasons: written or oral form of speech, contact or distant position of interlocutors, specific or general addressee, intended for official or informal communication, topic and much more.

All the variety of statements is difficult to classify, but we can rightfully say that among them there are those that constitute a special group of stereotypes, stable formulas of communication. Stereotypes and stable formulas do not arise anew in every act of speech, but are reproduced as units deposited and stored in our linguistic consciousness in the form of a kind of stock of ready-made typified phrases. Stereotypes in communication arise as a result of frequent and typical attachment to a frequently repeated typical communication situation. Generally speaking, standardization of certain processes, including communication processes, is a useful thing.

True, we must clearly distinguish where this is good and where it is bad. Official business speech cannot do without standards, stereotypes, and formulas. So, any act of communication has a beginning, a main part and a final part. If the addressee is unfamiliar to the subject of speech, then communication begins with acquaintance. Dating is undoubtedly the sphere of influence of etiquette. After all, getting acquainted means establishing a connection with a person, a relationship with him for communication. At the same time, there is always a willingness to make contact, regardless of what it is caused by - simply a kind attitude, sympathy or business considerations.

Acquaintance can occur directly or indirectly. Of course, it is advisable for someone to introduce you, but there are times when you need to do this yourself. Etiquette offers several possible formulas: Let's get acquainted! I want to meet you! I would like to meet you! These expressions are arranged in order of increasing politeness in showing their intention. There are also more relaxed ways, for example: Let's get acquainted - in this case, the form of the future tense (we will) practically loses the meaning of the future itself, but rather plays an incentive role.

Official, stylistically elevated expressions are: Let me introduce myself to you. The words allow, allow, as part of the formulas of speech etiquette always turn out to be an indicator of the stylistic heightened expression. Next, after these introductory phrases, there follows an introduction by first name, patronymic or last name, if the acquaintance is purely official. This form of presentation is chosen, which is then expected when addressing: if you want to be called by name, give the interlocutor exactly these “coordinates”; if you need more respect, call yourself by your first name and patronymic. In Russian speech it is customary to call the name, first name and patronymic, last name in the nominative or instrumental case: My name is Olga Sergeevna.

My name is Volodya. After the introduction has taken place, it is possible to indicate an unofficial name, accepted in a narrow circle, which is familiar to the acquaintance. In this case, the words “call” and “name” are used: My name is Tamara, but you can call me Toma; My name is Varvara, but just call me Vava. The second line of the dialogue - the response line usually expresses satisfaction, joy at meeting you: It’s very nice to meet you! Or simply: Very nice! I am glad! And even: Happy to meet you! Other phrases are not excluded. If the acquaintance occurs through an intermediary, he, as a rule, says: Meet me, please! or: Meet me! - and names the names of those he meets.

Often, a mediator, introducing a person, uses a phraseological turn: I ask you to love and favor, as a request, an invitation to a friendly attitude. Official and informal meetings of acquaintances and strangers begin with a greeting. Official greeting formulas include: Hello! Good afternoon There is also a group of stylistically elevated greetings: Greetings! I'm glad to welcome you! Let me (let me) welcome you! Along with greetings, to enhance signs of goodwill, we also use information about life, affairs, health: How are you living? How are you doing?

Or, in a more casual conversation: How is life? How are you? How is your health? If we know a person well, the state of his affairs is generally known to us, we clarify: What’s new? How is it going? How are you? What's new at work? As a wife? etc. If the meeting is unexpected, then the greeting is accompanied by an expression of surprise: What a pleasant meeting! What a surprise!, What a meeting!, Who do I see!, What destinies?, How many years, how many winters! and we say much more in this case. The initial formulas of communication are opposed to the formulas used at the end of communication - these are farewell formulas.

But, first of all, the interlocutor must be prepared for farewell. It’s impossible to imagine that in the middle of a meaningful conversation, and even at the end of it, without any transition you can say “goodbye.” Therefore, etiquette requires that we somehow lead the interlocutor to the end of the contact. This could be a mention of the late hour, gratitude for a pleasant evening, an apology for wasting time, compliments to the hostess if you were visiting. Farewell is accompanied by various kinds of requests and invitations: Come! Come in! Do not forget! Write! Call! And the person leaving may ask: Don’t remember him badly! Although, unlike the previous ones, this phrase is used less often. When parting, wishes are also accepted: I wish you good luck, success!, and to the departing person: Have a safe journey! Good morning!

During communication, if there is a reason, people make invitations and express congratulations. Congratulations are one of the brightest etiquette situations. They usually congratulate you on a holiday, on success, on the successful completion (and sometimes a successful start) of some business. Moreover, the nature of the holiday dictates the form of congratulations. Our language allows us to express congratulations very emotionally: Heartily congratulations! From the heart! Heartily! The reason that serves as the basis for congratulations turns into an independent congratulatory formula: Happy birthday! Happy holiday! Happy New Year! Congratulations are often associated with the presentation of a gift - an action that is certainly etiquette and requires appropriate speech rituals: Accept my modest gift! This is a keepsake for you!

On the occasion of the wedding, allow me to give you a gift! A wish often accompanies a congratulation, following it as a continuation of the remark. In the design of expressions, wishes have a lot in common with congratulations: With all my heart (with all my soul) I wish you... Three accepted wishes are consistently combined at once: I wish you happiness, health, success! The most common formula of gratitude in response to a greeting, congratulation, invitation, or wish is: Thank you! If this is a response to an invitation or proposal, it may contain an additional shade of agreement or refusal. Other formulas of gratitude are also possible: I am very grateful to you, I am so grateful to you, allow me (let me) thank you. There are other ways: I offer my gratitude.

Please accept my gratitude. Those. again, there are many expressions that speakers choose depending on who and in what setting their speech is addressed. And, of course, each of the ways to thank usually corresponds to the measure of service. For a ticket coin given in transport, you can say: Thank you! Thank you But, for example, the following phrase would sound funny: There are no words to express my gratitude to you! An apology is a verbal atonement for a wrongdoing. There may be more or less guilt. An apology for a minor offense, without explaining the guilt itself, since it is self-evident (someone accidentally pushed someone, stepped on someone’s foot, did not have time to let them pass), is quite sufficiently expressed by the formula: Sorry! or: Sorry! They also add: Please!

But if the guilt is great, then, perhaps, it is more common to use: Sorry! Often there is a need to explain what exactly we are asking for forgiveness for: “Please excuse me for the late call! Sorry for causing you so much trouble!” I apologize, and also Please forgive me, not to mention phrases such as: Accept my apologies, I must apologize to you! I can't help but apologize to you! - all these are stylistically elevated ways of apologizing. And again, it’s all about the art of choice: who says them to whom, in what relationships, officially or unofficially. A request, one way or another, burdens the interlocutor, and the speaker usually takes this into account, so asking for something without “please” is not accepted.

A request is an incentive speech action, and therefore is expressed most typically by the imperative mood of verbs: Please, please pass it on! Be kind! A person can acutely feel that it is difficult for the one to whom he is making a request, then he chooses other forms: If it is not difficult for you. If you don't mind. Don't refuse the courtesy. Don't think it's hard work. Do me a favor. Invitation, encouragement, advice in their linguistic expression are similar to a request. Only a request and an invitation are more likely focused on the interests of the addressee (I ask - I need this, I invite - this pleases me), and advice, a proposal, are more “oriented” towards the interests of the addressee (I advise, I suggest - this is useful to you) Goykhmpn O .I. Nadeina T.M. Speech communication: Textbook. - M.: INFRA - M, 2005. P. 117. .

When asking, we must be delicate enough to defend our own interests, and when advising, we must again be delicate enough not to rudely intrude on our interests. inner world interlocutor. But, of course, the interests of the one who invites, offers, and the one to whom it is directed are often combined. There is a similarity in the structure of the phrase both when asking and when giving advice. On the one hand: Please bring me a cup of coffee; on the other hand, please put on a warm scarf. Both are the imperative form of the verb, and such phrases can be freely replaced by the following: I ask you to bring me a cup of coffee and I ask you to wear a warm scarf.

But in the latter case It is the speaker, “I”, who really needs the person to dress warmly. In addition to a request, invitation, advice, proposal to the interlocutor, when the will (and goals) of the speaker encourage the addressee to take one or another action, our speech also expresses an invitation to joint (relative to “I” and “you”) action. In casual friendly communication, these are, first of all, verbal forms of the first person plural: Let's go..., Let's go..., Let's see... and specially motivating forms: Let's go... An invitation, request, advice, proposal must be answered, that is, one must express agreement or refusal, and in some cases - permission or prohibition to do something. Consent or permission is unlikely to offend our interlocutor, but refusal and prohibition require special tact.

Consent is given: With pleasure! and with joy! and permission is expressed with the word: Please! Refusal from the standpoint of etiquette is a more complex speech action: you need to make sure that the interlocutor is not offended. There are special “softening” agents in the tongue. Firstly, we express our regret that we cannot fulfill the request, respond to the offer: Unfortunately, I can’t... There are other ways to refuse: I would love to, but... It’s inconvenient for me to refuse, but... I would be happy to allow, but... Well, if the request outrages us, then we exclaim: No, no, and no again!!! Or this: This is out of the question! Or: Under no circumstances! Emotionally expressive ways of expressing categorical disagreement and prohibition occasionally have to be used, but at the same time we must be aware of how we influence the interlocutor and what feelings we awaken in him.

In the Russian language (as in others) there are a lot of words, expressions, stable formulas that convey a negative assessment, dissatisfaction, abuse, and generally a variety of negative emotions. This is a completely different area of ​​linguistic units and a different scope of their application. But situations where you need to console, show sympathy, express condolences, cheer up your interlocutor, create a good mood in him, directly relate to the field of speech etiquette. True, condolences are expressed officially, and take the form of stylistically lofty phrases such as: Please accept my condolences, Please accept my deep condolences, Allow me to express to you my sincere condolences, etc.

But consolation and sympathy are very diverse and vary from a socio-stylistic point of view, depending on who says them, to whom and in what situation. There are many phrases of sympathy in everyday life: This is nothing! It's OK! All this is nonsense! A reminder that troubles are inevitable in life can also serve as a consolation: Anything can happen; It's nothing you can do; You can't change anything here; All will pass; Everything will work out, etc. And there may also be calls to fight emotions: Don’t lose heart! Don't give in to the mood! and other phrases. As a rule, with sympathy and consolation, the speaker does not limit himself to just one phrase, he strings them one on top of the other, repeats, convinces, creates a whole text, and can add compliments here: You are such a strong person!

You can cope with adversity! Thus, a compliment, approval, as well as consolation and sympathy, encourage the interlocutor and lift his spirits. We are often inclined to believe even exaggerated compliments; we are ready to accept a compliment that is a little more than what we objectively deserve. Obviously, the whole point is that the speaker subjectively evaluates the interlocutor; it is the point of view of the addresser that can reveal the special merits of the addressee. This supports our tendency to believe our own high opinions. Psychologists note how important it is for a person to think well about himself, to have a positive image of himself in his mind. When giving compliments or expressing approval towards someone, we must remember that there is something good in every person.

To highlight, emphasize this good thing, do not be stingy, evaluate the best features in a person - this is the art of a compliment and its positive role Culture of Russian Speech: A Textbook for Universities / Ed. OK. Graudina. - M.: Publishing House Norma, 2001. P. 301. . Just as in consolation, sympathy, and in a compliment, all attention is focused on the interlocutor; there is “you” in the phrases, but there is no “I”. You look wonderful! This dress suits you very well! The most common compliments used are related to appearance. A compliment on appearance can mark a successful hairstyle or clothes: This suit suits you very well! This color suits you! You have great taste and dress so elegantly! But, of course, it's all about when it's appropriate to give which compliment.

If, for example, after a report or speech, a woman has the right to expect approval of her business qualities, and the speaker praises her clothes, the effect of such a compliment may be exactly the opposite - after all, she is waiting for approval of the thoughts that she expressed, manner of speaking, ability to defend her point of view, logically reason. A compliment addressed to loved ones also creates a good mood for the interlocutor: You have a lovely daughter; You have such a handsome husband; You have a charming wife! Thus, all of the above situations are the most common in terms of the implementation of speech etiquette in them.

3. SPEECH ETIQUETTE AND CULTURE OF SPEECH

Culture - in a certain sense of the word, is enlightenment, education, erudition, the presence of certain skills of behavior in society, good manners. The culture of communication is that part of the culture of behavior that is expressed mainly in speech, in the mutual exchange of remarks, in conversation. This broad area also affects what is called speech culture. Speech culture is a complex concept. In everyday life, in everyday life, this means correct, literate speech. But the culture of speech is also a whole branch of linguistics, sometimes called orthodology (“ortho”, like “ortho”, in Greek “correct” - “correct speech”) Formanovskaya N.I. You said: "Hello!" (Speech etiquette in our communication). - M.: Knowledge, 1989. P. 151. .

The culture of speech, as a science of language, is precisely concerned with the development and organization of various rules, and the rules of speech are of interest to each of us. Speech culture is understood as mastery of the norms of oral and written literary language, that is, the rules of pronunciation, stress, grammar and word usage. Usually, from these positions, speech is assessed as correct and incorrect, use as acceptable and unacceptable. For example: correct “last” (in line) and incorrect “last”; it is correct to “put” and incorrectly to “lay down”. The second area of ​​interest in the culture of speech is speech skills, the ability to choose a stylistically appropriate option, expressively and intelligibly express a thought.

A high culture of speech presupposes a fairly high level general culture person, conscious love of language, culture of thinking. The pinnacle of speech culture, the standard and “reference point” of phenomena perceived as normative, is recognized as the literary language, where the cultural traditions of the people and the achievements of wordsmiths and writers are consolidated and accumulated, as in a treasury. Speech etiquette is directly related to the culture of speech and is inseparable from the communication situation in which it is used.

In addition, speech etiquette is closely related to the category of politeness - an ethical category that is reflected in language and serves as one of the characteristics of a person. The ethical socio-cultural concept of politeness as a respectful attitude towards a communication partner is connected with speech etiquette in two ways. On the one hand, any violation of the norms of speech behavior is a demonstration of impoliteness.

This violation may be due to:

a) violation of the ritual of speech etiquette in the appropriate situation (did not say hello, did not thank);

b) choosing a discrepancy between the situation and the role characteristics of the partner (for example, the use of “you” - a formula, when the expected “you”).

The idea of ​​correct cultural speech includes a certain idea of ​​the norm in the field of speech etiquette. In general, a language norm is the rules of pronunciation, grammatical and other linguistic means, and rules of word usage accepted in the social speech practice of educated people. The norm is the most important condition for stability and unity of the national language. A norm, like a law, does not allow each speaker to act according to his own whim. Consequently, we can say that a person who has learned the norms of his native language has mastered the culture of speech, and vice versa, those who have mastered the culture of speech always adhere to the norm.

This does not exclude, of course, the stylistic diversity of his speech, but precisely presupposes such diversity as the embodiment of speech mastery. So, speech etiquette, as an element of the speech and behavioral culture of the people, is associated with the concept of linguistic norms. Every native speaker knows the previously discussed stable communication formulas - for example, the formula for apologizing for awkwardness; however, the norm is to greet only one: Excuse me! I'm sorry! - and others are rejected, for example: I'm sorry! (moreover, sometimes “justifications” are given for such a distinction, such as: you cannot apologize to yourself, you can only ask for an apology from others, etc.).

The very use or non-use of units of speech etiquette can also be the subject of normalization, for example: apology formulas are appropriate if the speaker is causing concern to his interlocutor, but one should not apologize too often, as this puts the interlocutor in an awkward position. In addition, a violation of the norms and rules of the literary language, especially if it looks like negligence, can itself be considered a violation of speech etiquette. So, the requirements of speech etiquette form a kind of hierarchy.

To some extent, they are an integral part of the active and passive language practice of every native speaker. On the other hand, these requirements are associated with a certain level of speech culture, more or less high. Elements of speech etiquette are present in the everyday practice of any native speaker who easily recognizes stable formulas of communication in the flow of speech and expects the interlocutor to use them in a certain situation. Elements of speech etiquette are absorbed so deeply that they are perceived by the “naive” linguistic consciousness as part of the everyday, natural and logical behavior of people.

But the boundary between everyday speech practice and the norm in speech etiquette is inevitably fluid. The practical application of speech etiquette is always somewhat different from normative models, and not only because of the participants’ insufficient knowledge of its rules. Deviations from the norm, or too meticulous adherence to it, may be due to the speaker’s desire to demonstrate his attitude towards the interlocutor or to emphasize his vision of the situation. Thus, speech etiquette is not a rigid system of rules; it is quite plastic, and this plasticity creates a fairly large “room for maneuver.”

Currently, there is a clear trend towards increasing the general and linguistic culture of people, developing a “linguistic sense”, linguistic taste, interest in language, bringing the culture of behavior and speech etiquette to automaticity. CONCLUSION It is impossible to name a linguistic culture in which etiquette requirements for speech activity would not be presented. In the speech etiquette of almost all nations, common features can be identified: almost all nations have stable formulas for greeting and farewell, forms of respectful address to elders, etc. however, these features are realized in each culture in its own way. The origins of speech etiquette lie in the most ancient period of the history of language.

The most ancient ideas about the effectiveness of the word are superimposed by later layers associated with various stages of the evolution of society and its structure. In modern, especially urban culture, the culture of industrial and post-industrial society, the place of speech etiquette is radically rethought. On the one hand, the traditional foundations of this phenomenon are being eroded: mythological and religious beliefs. Ideas about an unshakable social hierarchy, etc. Speech etiquette is now viewed in a purely pragmatic aspect, as a means of achieving a communicative goal: to attract the attention of the interlocutor, to demonstrate respect to him, to arouse sympathy, to create a comfortable climate for communication.

On the other hand, speech etiquette remains an important part of the national language and culture. It is impossible to talk about a high level of language proficiency if this proficiency does not include knowledge of the rules of speech communication and the ability to apply these rules in practice. The ability to comply with ethical and speech standards has always been highly valued in society. Knowledge of ethical standards and the ability to follow them in behavior and speech indicate a high level of human development.

Today, correct and cultural speech no longer occupies its former dominant place in society. Most people communicate without due respect and respect for each other, thereby creating misunderstandings, unnecessary quarrels and swearing.

If you adhere to certain norms of speech etiquette, then everyday communication will bring pleasure and joy, turning it into strong friendships, business contacts, and families.

Peculiarities

First of all, you need to find out what etiquette is. Summarizing most definitions, we can conclude that etiquette is a set of generally accepted rules regarding norms of behavior, appearance, and communication between people. In turn, speech etiquette is certain linguistic norms of communication established in society.

This concept appeared in France during the reign of Louis XIV. Court ladies and gentlemen were given special “labels” - cards on which recommendations were written on how to behave at the table at a banquet, when there was a ball, a gala reception of foreign guests, etc. In this “forced” way, the foundations of behavior were laid, which Over time they became part of the common people.

From time immemorial and to this day, the culture of each ethnic group has had and still has its own special norms of communication and behavior in society. These rules help to tactfully enter into verbal contact with a person without hurting his personal feelings and emotions.

Features of speech etiquette include a number of linguistic and social properties:

1. The inevitability of fulfilling etiquette forms. This means that if a person wants to be a full-fledged part of society (a group of people), then he must comply with generally accepted norms of behavior. Otherwise, society may reject him - people will not want to communicate with him or maintain close contact.
2. Speech etiquette is public politeness. It is always flattering to communicate with a well-mannered person, and it is especially pleasant to reciprocate with a “kind” word. There are often cases when people are unpleasant to each other, but end up in the same team. This is where speech etiquette comes in handy, because all people want comfortable communication without swear words and harsh expressions.
3. The need to comply with speech formulas. The speech action of a cultured person cannot do without a sequence of stages. The beginning of a conversation always begins with a greeting, followed by the main part - the conversation. The dialogue ends with farewell and nothing else.
4. Smoothing out conflicts and conflict situations. Saying “sorry” or “excuse me” at the right time will help avoid unnecessary conflicts.
5. The ability to show the level of relations between interlocutors. For people in a close circle, as a rule, warmer words of greeting and communication in general are used (“Hello,” “I’m so glad to see you,” etc.). Those who don’t know each other simply adhere to the “official” (“Hello”, “Good afternoon”).

The manner of communicating with people is always a direct indicator of a person’s level of education. To become a worthy member of society, it is necessary to develop communication skills, without which modern world it will be very difficult.

Formation of a culture of communication

From the moment of birth, the child begins to receive the necessary knowledge to develop skills and abilities. Conversational skill is the basis of conscious communication, without which it is difficult to exist. Now he is being given great attention not only in the family, but also in educational institutions (school, university). Communication culture is understood as a model of speech behavior that must be relied upon when speaking with another individual. Its full formation depends on many factors: the environment in which a person grew up, the level of education of his parents, the quality of the education received, personal aspirations.

Forming a culture of communication skills is a long and difficult process. It is based on a number of goals and objectives, having achieved which, you can fully master the skill of tactful and polite communication with people in secular society and at home. They are aimed (goals and objectives) at developing the following qualities:

1. sociability as an individual personality trait;
2. the formation of communicative relationships in society;
3. lack of isolation from society;
4. social activity;
5. improving academic performance;
6. development of an individual’s rapid adaptation to a variety of activities (play, study, etc.).

The relationship between culture and speech

Every person sees and feels the invisible connection between the culture of speech and etiquette. It seems that these concepts are absolutely close and equal to each other, but this is not entirely true. To begin with, it is necessary to define what culture is in a broad sense.

Culture means that a person has certain communicative qualities and knowledge, good reading and, as a result, a sufficient vocabulary, awareness of a number of issues, the presence of upbringing, as well as the ability to behave in society and alone with oneself.

In turn, the culture of conversation or communication is the individual’s way of speaking, his ability to conduct a conversation, and express his thoughts in a structured manner. This concept is very difficult to understand, so there is still a lot of debate about the accuracy of this definition.

In Russia and abroad, this branch of linguistics as a science is engaged in the development of rules of communication and their systematization. Speech culture also means the study and application of the rules and norms of written and oral speech, punctuation, accentology, ethics and other areas of linguistics.

From a scientific point of view, speech is defined as “correct” or “incorrect”. This implies the correct use of words in various linguistic situations. Examples:

• “Go home already! "(correctly said - go);
• “Put bread on the table? "(the word “lay” is not used without prefixes, so it is necessary to use only such correct forms - put, lay out, impose, etc.)

If a person calls himself cultured, then it is assumed that he has a number of distinctive qualities: he has a large or above average vocabulary, the ability to correctly and competently express his thoughts, and a desire to improve the level of knowledge in the field of linguistics and ethical standards. From ancient times to this day, the standard of etiquette and highly cultural communication is literary speech. IN classical works lies the basis of the correct Russian language. Therefore, we can say with confidence that Speech etiquette is completely interconnected with the culture of communication.

Without a high-quality education, good upbringing and a special desire to improve communicative qualities, a person will not be able to fully observe the culture of speech, since he will simply be unfamiliar with it. The environment has a special influence on the development of an individual’s linguistic culture. Speech habits are “practiced” among friends and family.

Moreover, speech culture is directly related to such an ethical category as politeness, which, in turn, also characterizes the speaker (a polite person or a rude person). In this regard, we can say that people who do not comply with communication norms show their interlocutor a lack of culture, their bad manners and impoliteness. For example, a person did not say hello at the beginning of a conversation, uses profanity, swear words, or does not use the respectful address “you” when it was expected and implied.

Speech etiquette is closely intertwined with the culture of communication. To improve the level of speech, it is necessary not only to study the template formulas of official dialogue, but also to improve the quality of knowledge by reading classical literature and communicating with polite and highly intelligent people.

Functions

Speech etiquette performs a number of important functions. Without them, it is difficult to form an idea about it, as well as to understand how it manifests itself at the moment of communication between people.

One of the main functions of language is communicative, because the basis of speech etiquette is communication. In turn, it consists of a number of other tasks, without which it would not be able to function fully:

• Social(aimed at establishing contact). This implies the initial establishment of a connection with the interlocutor, maintaining attention. Sign language plays a special role at the stage of establishing contact. As a rule, people look eye to eye and smile. Usually this is done unconsciously, on a subconscious level, in order to show the joy of meeting and starting a dialogue, they extend their hand for a handshake (if they get to know each other closely).
• Connotative. This function aimed at showing politeness towards each other. This applies to both the beginning of the dialogue and the entire communication in general.
• Regulatory. It has a direct connection with the above. From the name it is clear that it regulates relationships between people during communication. In addition, its purpose is to convince the interlocutor of something, to encourage him to act or, conversely, to prohibit him from doing something.
• Emotional. Each conversation has its own level of emotionality, which is set from the very beginning. It depends on the degree of acquaintance of people, the room in which they are located (a public place or a cozy table in the corner of a cafe), as well as on the mood of each individual at the time of speech.

Some linguists supplement this list with the following functions:

• Imperative. It involves the influence of opponents on each other during a conversation through gestures and facial expressions. With the help of open poses, you can win over a person, scare or put pressure on him, “increasing his volume” (the speaker raises his arms high and wide, spreads his legs, looks up).
• Discussive and polemical. In other words, it’s a dispute.

Based on the above functions, the following series of properties of speech etiquette are distinguished:

1. thanks to him, a person can feel like a full-fledged part of the team;
2. it helps to establish communication connections between people;
3. helps to find out information about the interlocutor;
4. with its help you can show your degree of respect for your opponent;
5. Speech etiquette helps to establish a positive emotional mood, which helps prolong the conversation and establish more friendly contact.

The above functions and properties once again prove that speech etiquette is the basis of communication between people, which helps a person start a conversation and end it tactfully.

Kinds

If you turn to modern dictionary Russian language, then there you can find a definition of speech as a form of communication between people with the help of sounds that form the basis of words from which sentences are built, and gestures.

In turn, speech can be internal (“dialogue in the head”) and external. External communication is divided into written and oral. Oral communication takes the form of dialogue or monologue. Moreover, written speech is secondary, and oral speech is primary.

Dialogue is a process of communication between two or more individuals for the purpose of exchanging information, impressions, experiences, and emotions. Monologue is the speech of one person. It can be addressed to the audience, to oneself, or to the reader.

Written speech is more conservative in structure than oral speech. She also strictly “requires” the use of punctuation marks, the purpose of which is to convey the exact intent and emotional component. Transmitting words in writing is a complex and interesting process. Before writing anything, a person thinks about what exactly he wants to say and convey to the reader, and then how to write it down correctly (grammatically and stylistically).

Audible verbal communication is spoken language. It is situational, limited by time and space where the speaker directly speaks. Oral communication can be characterized by categories such as:

• content (cognitive, material, emotional, stimulating and activity-based);
• interaction techniques (role communication, business, social, etc.);
• purpose of communication.

If we talk about speech in a secular society, then in this situation people communicate on topics that are prescribed in speech etiquette. In essence, this is empty, pointless and polite communication. To some extent it can be called mandatory. People may perceive a person’s behavior as an insult in their direction if he does not communicate or greet anyone at a social reception or corporate event.

In a business conversation, the main task is to achieve agreement and approval on the part of the opponent on any issue or matter of interest.

Elements of speech

The goal of any speech act is the impact on the interlocutor. The conversation is created in order to convey information to a person, have fun, and convince him of something. Speech is a unique phenomenon that is observed only in human beings. The more meaningful and expressive it is, the greater the effect it will produce.

It should be understood that words written on paper will have less impact on the reader than phrases spoken out loud with emotion embedded in them. The text cannot convey the entire “palette” of the mood of the individual who wrote it.

The following elements of speech are distinguished:

• Content. This is one of the most important elements, since it reflects the true knowledge of the speaker, his vocabulary, erudition, as well as the ability to convey to the listeners the main topic of the conversation. If the speaker “floats” in the topic, is poorly informed and uses expressions and phrases that he does not understand, then the listener will immediately understand this and lose interest. If this is often observed in an individual, then soon interest in him as a person will be lost.
• Naturalness of speech. First of all, a person must be confident in what he says and how he says it. This will help you to have a natural dialogue without taking on any role. It is much easier for people to perceive calm speech without “officiality” and pretense. It is very important that the posture of the speaking individual is also natural. All movements, turns, steps must be smooth and measured.

• Composition. This is a sequential, ordered arrangement of parts of speech and their logical relationship. The composition is divided into five stages: establishing contact, introduction, main speech, conclusion, summing up. If you remove one of them, then conveying information will be a more complex process.
• Understandability. Before you say anything, you need to think about whether the listener will understand you correctly. Therefore, it is necessary to select appropriate stylistic means of expressing thoughts. The speaker must pronounce words clearly and moderately loudly, maintain a certain pace (not too fast, but not too slow), and sentences must be moderate in length. Try to reveal the meaning of abbreviations and complex foreign concepts.
• Emotionality. It is clear that a person’s speech should always convey a certain amount of emotion. They can be conveyed using intonation, expression and “juicy” words. Thanks to this, the opponent will be able to fully understand the essence of the conversation and become interested.
• Eye contact. This item speech helps not only to establish contact, but also to maintain it. Through eye-to-eye contact, people show their interest and also demonstrate their involvement in the conversation. But visual contact must be established correctly. If you look closely and do not blink, the interlocutor may perceive this as an act of aggression.
• Non-verbal communication. Gestures, facial expressions and postures play a big role during a conversation. They help convey information, convey your attitude to the words spoken and win over your interlocutor. It’s always nice to listen to a person who “helps” himself with his face and hands. Ordinary verbal communication is boring and dry, without gestures or facial expressions.

The above elements of speech help to analyze any person, to understand how educated, erudite and educated he is.

Language of the body

Sometimes non-verbal communication can show more than the individual is trying to say. In this regard, when communicating with an unfamiliar person, management or colleague, you need to monitor your gestures and movements. Non-verbal transmission of information occurs almost subconsciously and can influence the emotional tone of the conversation.

Body language includes gestures, postures, and facial expressions. In turn, gestures can be individual (they can be associated with physiological characteristics, habits), emotional, ritual (when a person crosses himself, prays, etc.) and generally accepted (extending his hand to shake hands).

Human activity leaves an important mark on body language. It can also change depending on environmental factors.

Thanks to gestures and postures, you can understand your opponent’s readiness to communicate. If he uses open gestures (legs or arms are not crossed, does not stand half-turned), then this means that the person is not closed and wants to communicate. Otherwise (in closed positions), it is better not to bother you, but to communicate another time.

A conversation with an official or boss is not always carried out when you really want it. Therefore, you need to control your body to avoid unpleasant questions.

Masters of oratory advise not to clench your palms into fists, not to hide your hands back (perceived as a threat), try not to close yourself off (cross your legs, it is especially unethical to cross your legs in such a way that the toe “pokes” at the interlocutor).

During the speech act, it is better to avoid touching the nose, eyebrows, and earlobe. This may be perceived as a gesture indicating a lie in the words.

Special attention should be given to the facial muscles. What's in the soul is on the face. Of course, when you talk to a close friend, you can let go of your emotions, but in the business sphere this is unacceptable. During interviews, negotiations and business meetings, it is better not to compress or bite your lips(this is how a person expresses his distrust and concern), try to look into the eyes or at the entire audience. If the gaze is constantly turned to the side or down, then this is how a person expresses his disinterest and fatigue.

According to the rules of speech etiquette with strangers and in an official setting, it is better to behave with restraint, without unnecessary emotional leaks. As for ordinary everyday communication with friends and family, in this case you can allow yourself to relax so that your gestures and postures echo the words spoken.

Basic rules and regulations

Speech etiquette requires a person to comply with certain norms, since without them the culture of communication itself would not exist. The rules are divided into two groups: strictly prohibitive and more recommendatory in nature (they are determined by the situation and the place in which communication takes place). Speech behavior also has its own regulations.

• compliance of the language with literary norms;
• maintain phasing (first there is a greeting, then the main part of the conversation, then the end of the conversation);
• avoidance of swear words, rudeness, tactless and disrespectful behavior;
• choosing the appropriate tone and manner of communication for the situation;
• using accurate terminology and professionalism without errors.

The regulations on speech etiquette list the following rules of communication:

• in your speech you must try to avoid “empty” words that do not carry meaning, as well as monotonous speech patterns and expressions; Communication should take place at a level accessible to the interlocutor, using understandable words and phrases.
• during the dialogue, let the opponent speak, do not interrupt him and listen to him to the end;
• the most important thing is to be polite and tactful.

Formulas

At the heart of any conversation there are a number of norms and rules that must be adhered to. In speech etiquette, the concept of speech formulas is distinguished. They help “decompose” the conversation between people into stages. The following stages of conversation are distinguished:

• Start of communication(greeting the interlocutor or getting to know him). Here, as a rule, a person chooses the form of address himself. It all depends on the gender of the people entering into the dialogue, their age and emotional state. If these are teenagers, then they can say to each other “Hi! "and that will be fine. In the case when the people starting the conversation are of different age groups, it is better to use the words “Hello”, “Good afternoon/evening”. When these are old acquaintances, communication can begin quite emotionally: “I’m so glad to see you! ", "Long time no see! " There are no strict regulations at this stage if this is normal everyday communication, but in the case of business meetings it is necessary to adhere to a “high” style.
• Main conversation. In this part, the development of dialogue depends on the situation. This could be an ordinary fleeting meeting on the street, a special event (wedding, anniversary, birthday), a funeral or an office conversation. In the case when it is some kind of holiday, the communication formulas are divided into two branches - inviting the interlocutor to a celebration or significant event and congratulations (congratulatory speech with wishes).
• Invitation. In this situation, it is better to use the following words: “I would like to invite you”, “I will be glad to see you”, “please accept my invitation”, etc.
• Wishes. Here the speech formulas are as follows: “accept my congratulations from the bottom of my heart”, “let me congratulate you”, “on behalf of the entire team I wish...”, etc.

Sad events related to the loss of a loved one, etc. It is very important that encouraging words do not sound dry and officious, without proper emotional overtones. It is very absurd and inappropriate to communicate with a person in such grief with a smile and active gestures. In these difficult days for a person, it is necessary to use the following phrases: “accept my condolences”, “I sincerely sympathize with your grief”, “be strong in spirit”, etc.

Working office routine. It is worth understanding that communication with a colleague, subordinate and manager will have different formulas of speech etiquette. In a dialogue with each of the listed people, words may include compliments, advice, encouragement, requests for favors, etc.

• Advice and requests. When a person advises an opponent, the following templates are used: “I would like to advise you...”, “if you allow me, I will give you advice”, “I advise you”, etc. It is easy to agree that asking someone for a favor is sometimes difficult and uncomfortable. A well-mannered person will feel a little awkward. In such a situation, the following words are used: “can I ask you about ...”, “don’t take it as rude, but I need your help”, “please help me”, etc.

The individual experiences the same emotions when he needs to refuse. To make this polite and ethical, you should use the following speech formulas: “I beg your pardon, but I have to refuse,” “I’m afraid I can’t help you,” “I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to help you,” etc.

• Acknowledgments. It is more pleasant to express gratitude, but it also needs to be presented correctly: “I thank you with all my heart,” “I am very grateful to you,” “thank you,” etc.
• Compliments and words of encouragement also require correct presentation. It is important that a person understands to whom he is giving a compliment, since management may perceive it as flattery, and a stranger may consider it rudeness or mockery. Therefore, the following expressions are regulated here: “you are an excellent companion,” “your skills in this matter helped us a lot,” “you look good today,” etc.

• Don’t forget about the form of addressing a person. Many sources indicate that at work and with unfamiliar people it is better to stick to the “you” form, since “you” is a more personal and everyday address
• Ending communication. After the main part of the conversation has reached its climax, the third stage begins - the logical end of the dialogue. Saying goodbye to a person also has different forms. This could be a simple wish. Have a good day or good health. Sometimes the end of the dialogue may end with words of hope for a new meeting: “See you soon,” “I hope this is not the last time I see you,” “I would really like to meet you again,” etc. Doubts are often expressed that the interlocutors will ever or they will meet again: “I’m not sure if we’ll see each other again,” “Don’t remember it badly,” “I will remember only good things about you.”

These formulas are divided into 3 stylistic groups:

1. Neutral. Words without emotional connotation are used here. They are used in everyday communication, at work in the office, as well as at home (“hello”, “thank you”, “please”, “good afternoon”, etc.).
2. Increased. Words and expressions of this group are intended for solemn and significant events. They usually express emotional condition the person and his thoughts (“I’m very sorry”, “I’m very glad to see you”, “I really hope to see you soon”, etc.).
3. Reduced. This includes phrases and expressions that are used informally among “our own people.” They can be very rude and colloquial (“salute”, “hello”, “healthy”). They are most often used by teenagers and young people.

All of the above formulas of speech etiquette are not strict regulations for daily communication. Of course, in an official setting you should adhere to a certain order, but in everyday life you can use words that are closer to a “warm” conversation (“hello/bye”, “glad to meet you”, “see you tomorrow”, etc.).

Carrying on a conversation

At first glance, it may seem that conducting small cultural conversation is very simple, but this is not entirely true. It will be difficult for a person without special communication skills to implement this. Everyday communication with loved ones, friends and family is very different from business and official conversation.

For each type of speech communication, society has imposed certain frameworks and norms that require strict adherence to them. For example, everyone knows that in reading rooms, libraries, shops, cinemas or museums you cannot talk loudly or inquire in public family relationships, discuss problems in a raised voice, etc.

Speech is spontaneous and situational, so it needs to be controlled and corrected (if necessary). Speech etiquette “calls” for loyalty, attentiveness to the interlocutor, as well as for maintaining the purity and correctness of speech as such.

• Avoidance of swear words, insults, swearing and humiliation in relation to the opponent. By using them, the person uttering them loses the respect of the listener. This is especially prohibited in the area business communication(office, educational institution). The most important and basic rule is mutual respect during dialogue.
• Lack of egocentrism when speaking. You need to try not to focus on yourself, your problems, experiences and emotions; you should not be intrusive, boastful and annoying. Otherwise, soon a person simply will not want to communicate with such an individual.
• The interlocutor must show interest in communication. It is always nice to tell something to a person when he is interested in the subject of conversation. In this regard, eye contact, clarifying questions, and open postures are very important.
• Matching the topic of conversation with the place in which it occurs and with the person with whom it is conducted. You should not discuss personal or intimate issues with an unfamiliar interlocutor. The conversation will be awkward and off-putting. You also need to understand where the dialogue starts. For example, during a theater performance it would be extremely inappropriate and tactless to conduct a conversation.

• A conversation should only be started if it really does not distract the opponent from something important. If you can see that a person is in a hurry somewhere, doing something, then it is better to check with him about the time when he can communicate.
• The style of speech must meet the norms of business conversation. In a classroom or work environment, it is important to be mindful of what you say, as it may have consequences.
• Moderate gestures. The body gives away emotions and intentions. With strong and expressive gestures, it is difficult for the interlocutor to concentrate on the topic of conversation. Moreover, it can be regarded as a threat.
• Age limits must be respected. With a person several times older than yourself, you must use the “you” address or by name and patronymic. This is how respect for the interlocutor is shown. If the age group is approximately the same, strangers should also use this form. If people know each other, then communication can take place according to personal rules that have long been established. It would be very rude to “poke” towards a younger interlocutor from an adult.

Types of situations

Absolutely every dialogue or communication is a speech situation. Conversation between individuals can take many forms, depending on a number of factors. These include gender composition, time, place, theme, motive.

The gender of the interlocutor plays an important role. In terms of emotional coloring, a conversation between two young men will always differ from the dialogue between girls, just like the dialogue between a man and a woman.

As a rule, speech etiquette involves a man using respectful forms of words when addressing a girl, as well as calling “you” in a formal setting.

The use of different speech formulas directly depends on the place. If this is an official reception, meeting, interview or other important event, then it is necessary to use the words “high level”. In the case when this is a regular meeting on the street or on a bus, you can use stylistically neutral expressions and words.

Speech situations are divided into the following types:

• Official business. Here there are people fulfilling the following social roles: leader - subordinate, teacher - student, waiter - visitor, etc. In this case, strict adherence to ethical standards and rules of speech culture is necessary. Violations will be immediately noted by the interlocutor and may carry consequences.
• Unofficial (informal). Communication here is calm and relaxed. There is no need for strict adherence to etiquette. In this situation, dialogues take place between relatives, close friends, and classmates. But it is worth noting the fact that when a stranger appears in such a group of people, then the conversation from that moment should be built within the framework of speech etiquette.
• Semi-formal. This type has a very vague framework of communication contacts. This includes work colleagues, neighbors, and the family as a whole. People communicate according to the established rules of the team. This is a simple form of communication that has some ethical restrictions.

National and cultural traditions

One of the important assets of the people is culture and speech etiquette, which do not exist without each other. Each country has its own ethical standards and rules of communication. They can sometimes seem strange and unusual for a Russian person.

Each culture has its own speech formulas, originating from the origins of the formation of the nation and state itself. They reflect established folk habits and customs, as well as society’s attitude towards men and women (as you know, in Arab countries it is considered unethical to touch a girl and communicate with her without the presence of a person accompanying her).

For example, residents of the Caucasus (Ossetians, Kabardins, Dagestanis and others) have specific features greetings. These words are selected to suit the situation: a person greets a stranger, a guest entering a house, a farmer in different ways. The beginning of the conversation also depends on age. It also differs by gender.

Residents of Mongolia also greet in a very unusual way. The words of greeting depend on the time of year. In winter, they may greet a person with the words: “How is winter going? “This habit remains from a sedentary lifestyle, when you had to constantly move from place to place. In the autumn they may ask: “Do livestock have a lot of fat? »

If we talk about Eastern culture, then in China, when meeting, they ask the question whether a person is hungry, whether he has eaten today. And provincial Cambodians ask: “Are you happy today?”

Not only speech norms differ, but also gestures. When Europeans meet, they extend their hands for a handshake (men), and if they are very close acquaintances, they kiss them on the cheek.

Residents of southern countries hug, and in the East they make a small respectful bow. In this regard, it is very important to recognize such features and be prepared for them, otherwise you can simply offend a person without even knowing about it.

The culture of each nationality is unique and it finds its manifestation in all spheres of people’s lives; speech etiquette is also no exception.

Read about these and other subtleties of speech etiquette below.

It is impossible to name a linguistic culture in which etiquette requirements for speech activity would not be presented. The origins of speech etiquette lie in the most ancient period of the history of language. In an archaic society, speech etiquette (like etiquette in general) has a ritual background. The word is given a special meaning associated with magical and ritual ideas, the relationship between man and cosmic forces. Therefore, human speech activity, from the point of view of members of archaic society, can have a direct impact on people, animals and the world; The regulation of this activity is connected, first of all, with the desire to cause certain events (or, conversely, to avoid them). Relics of this state are preserved in various units of speech etiquette; for example, many stable formulas represent ritual wishes that were once perceived as effective: Hello (also Be healthy); Thank you (from God bless you). Similarly, many prohibitions on the use of words and constructions that are modern language are considered abusive and go back to archaic prohibitions - taboos.

The most ancient ideas about the effectiveness of the word are superimposed by later layers associated with various stages in the evolution of society and its structure, with religious beliefs, etc. Of particular note is the rather complex system of speech etiquette in hierarchical societies, where the rules of speech communication fit into the semiotics of the social hierarchy. An example would be the court of an absolute monarch ( medieval East, Europe at the turn of the New Age). In such societies, etiquette norms became the subject of training and codification and played a dual role: they allowed the speaker to express respect for the interlocutor and at the same time emphasize the sophistication of his own upbringing. The role of etiquette manuals in the formation of a new, Europeanized elite was well known.

In the speech etiquette of almost all nations, common features can be identified; Thus, almost all nations have stable formulas for greeting and farewell, forms of respectful address to elders, etc. However, these features are implemented in each culture in its own way. As a rule, the most extensive system of requirements exists in traditional cultures. At the same time, with a certain degree of convention, we can say that the understanding of speech etiquette by its speakers goes through several stages. A closed traditional culture is characterized by the absolutization of etiquette requirements for behavior in general and for speech behavior in particular. A person with a different speech etiquette is perceived here as a poorly educated or immoral person, or as an insulter. In societies that are more open to external contacts, there is usually a more developed understanding of the differences in speech etiquette among different peoples, and the skills of imitating someone else’s speech behavior can even be a source of pride for a member of the society.

In modern, especially urban culture, the culture of industrial and post-industrial society, the place of speech etiquette is radically rethought. On the one hand, the traditional foundations of this phenomenon are being eroded: mythological and religious beliefs, ideas about an unshakable social hierarchy, etc. Speech etiquette is now considered in a purely pragmatic aspect, as a means of achieving a communicative goal: to attract the attention of the interlocutor, to demonstrate respect to him, to arouse sympathy, to create a comfortable climate for communication. The relics of hierarchical representations are also subject to these tasks; compare, for example, the history of the address Mr. and the corresponding addresses in other languages: an element of speech etiquette, which once arose as a sign of the social status of the addressee, subsequently becomes a national form of polite address.

On the other hand, speech etiquette remains an important part of the national language and culture. It is impossible to talk about a high level of proficiency foreign language, if this proficiency does not include knowledge of the rules of speech communication and the ability to apply these rules in practice. It is especially important to have an understanding of the differences in national speech etiquettes. For example, each language has its own system of address, which has been formed over centuries. When translated literally, the meaning of these addresses is sometimes distorted; Thus, the English Dear is used in official addresses, while the corresponding Russian Dear is used, as a rule, in less formal situations. Or another example - in many Western cultures, when asked How are you? should answer: Okay. The answer Bad or Not very is considered indecent: the interlocutor should not impose his problems. In Russia, it is customary to answer the same question neutrally, rather with a negative connotation: Nothing; Little by little. Differences in speech etiquette and in general in systems of rules of speech behavior fall under the purview of a special discipline - linguistic and regional studies.

Each language has its own history, its “ups and downs”. At particularly critical moments of government transformation, there is always a danger of losing attention to this national asset, being distracted by the seemingly more important needs and problems of society. In our time of great social and spiritual changes, this danger has increased many times over.

Over the past two decades, the Russian language has suffered many not-so-good influences and invasions. Dozens of scientific and cultural figures sounded the alarm. Back in the early 90s, realizing that there was an ugly pollution of the Russian language, writers of the St. Petersburg organization of the Union of Writers of Russia raised the issue of adopting a Law on the Protection of the Russian Language at the state level. And only at the beginning of 1998 this Law was adopted, which talks about the mandatory introduction of a course in the Russian language and speech culture in all universities in the country and the adoption of special measures to increase the level of literacy of the population.

Speech etiquette has national specifics. Each nation has created its own system of rules of speech behavior. In Russian society, such qualities as tact, courtesy, tolerance, goodwill, and restraint are of particular value.

Tactfulness is an ethical norm that requires the speaker to understand the interlocutor, avoid inappropriate questions, and discuss topics that may be unpleasant for him.

Consideration lies in the ability to anticipate possible questions and wishes of the interlocutor, the willingness to inform him in detail on all topics relevant to the conversation.

Tolerance means being calm about possible differences of opinion and avoiding harsh criticism of the views of your interlocutor. You should respect the opinions of other people and try to understand why they have this or that point of view. Closely related to such a character quality as tolerance is self-control - the ability to calmly respond to unexpected or tactless questions and statements from an interlocutor.

Goodwill is necessary both in relation to the interlocutor and in the entire structure of the conversation: in its content and form, in intonation and choice of words.

Appeal is the most widespread and most striking etiquette sign.

There are few personal pronouns in the Russian language, but their weight in speech etiquette is quite large. The choice between You and You is especially important. You instead of You in addressing one appeared among Russians relatively recently (in the 18th century). This attitude was established primarily among educated nobles. Before this, You in itself had no etiquette content. But in comparison with you, it acquired the meaning of proximity, and in the communication of people who are not close, it began to express social inequality, communication from top to bottom. You told the commoners, the servants. Gradually capturing more and more new layers of townspeople, the use of You and You respectively received various shades in accordance with the attitude typical for each social group.

The presence in the Russian language of forms of address “you” and “you” gives us an effective means of being polite. Personal pronouns are directly related to speech etiquette. They are associated with self-names and names of the interlocutor, with the feeling of what is “decent” and “indecent” in such naming. For example, when a person corrects his interlocutor: “Tell me “you”, “Don’t poke, please,” he expresses dissatisfaction with the “disrespectful” pronoun directed towards him. So, “you” is not always empty, and “you” is not always heartfelt? Usually “you” is used when addressing a loved one, in an informal setting and when the address is rudely familiar; “you” - in polite address, in an official setting, in addressing someone unfamiliar or unfamiliar. Although there are many nuances here.

It is not customary for Russians to call a third person present during a conversation with the pronoun he (she). Russian speech etiquette provides for calling a third person present during a conversation by name (and patronymic), if you have to speak in front of him and for him. Apparently, Russians clearly feel that I and You, We and You are, as it were, inclusive pronouns, that is, those that distinguish the interlocutors from everyone else, and He, She, They are exclusive pronouns, indicating not the one with whom This time they communicate, but for something third. Meanwhile, the etiquette of many countries does not prohibit such a speech act - “excluding” someone present.

Among the many introductory words of the Russian language, there are those that, like etiquette means of confirmation or negation, can be considered a special technique of etiquette modulation of speech. For example, introductory words see, know, understand, believe, imagine.

It is clear that the introductory words whose behavior we observe, although they mainly serve to express the connection with the interlocutor, i.e. have the most general etiquette meanings, but still retain traces of the meaning of the corresponding verbs. Therefore, with the same etiquette content, you see, you know, you understand, imagine, and similar introductory words are completely semantically still not equal. Each of them carries its own additional meaning.

If we compare the etiquette capabilities of Russian speech with the etiquette capabilities of other languages, it turns out that etiquette means are obligatory and optional, or optional. This is reminiscent of how it is transmitted different languages meaning of certainty/uncertainty. A speaker in Russian, reporting that a boy is coming, can emphasize that this is a very specific boy, the same one who has already been discussed, can show that this is some kind of boy about whom nothing is known, but may not express in this sentence meaning certainty/uncertainty: A boy is coming. Of course, the entire setting of speech, as well as preceding and subsequent phrases, usually make it clear whether we are talking about a definite or indefinite boy, but in Russian the means of expressing these meanings are not mandatory: Russian grammar does not require that a special indicator of definiteness must be attached to a noun or uncertainty of the subject. But English, French, and German grammar, as you know, requires this when translating a sentence. The boy goes to French, German, English language, we are obliged to choose a definite or indefinite article, to use mandatory means of conveying the meaning of definiteness / uncertainty.

In the same way, in some languages ​​there are only non-obligatory etiquette means, while in other languages ​​there are also obligatory ones. This is, say, the Japanese language. Almost all verbs of the Japanese language can have a form that is emphatically polite towards the addressee of the speech and a form that is familiar.

Whatever we talk about in Japanese (even if not about the addressee!), we have to choose either a polite or familiar form of the verb, i.e., whether we want it or not, we have to show our attitude towards the addressee. But in the Russian language there are no grammatical regulations regarding when and in what particular way etiquette content must be expressed. This means that the etiquette means of the Russian language are optional.

However, as we have already seen, this not only does not reduce the etiquette possibilities, but makes them more subtle and flexible!

There are incredibly many ways to convey etiquette meanings in speech. Every time we choose what to say and how to say it, we necessarily take into account (although we don’t always notice it ourselves) with whom and in what setting we are speaking. Therefore, speeches that have nothing to do with etiquette, perhaps, do not exist at all. If a language has developed several styles (book speech, colloquial, scientific style, business, etc.) and there is a difference in the speech of individual social groups (the speech of educated and uneducated people, literary and dialectal, the speech of young and middle-aged, etc.), then the very choice of the type of speech turns out to be an etiquette sign, expresses attitude towards the listener or the one we are mentioning.

Surprisingly diverse etiquette signs in the speech of different peoples. For example, the types of interjections that accompany the address. In some languages ​​they differ depending on who is addressing whom. Thus, they indicate the composition of those communicating, and, therefore, carry important etiquette information.

In many languages, in order to convey etiquette content, they use deliberate deviations of grammatical number, grammatical gender, replacement of one face form with another, special “polite” and “super polite” words, and a unique sentence structure. It is difficult to list the etiquette means of oral speech alone, but also the etiquette techniques that are used in writing! Just remember how to capitalize the polite forms You, You, You, Yours, Yours, etc.

In speech etiquette, there are situations when body language is very important. Each nation has its own specific gesture:

Russians, British, Americans shake hands as a greeting gesture.

In the old days, when a Chinese man met a friend, he shook his own hand.

Laplanders rub noses together.

A young American greets his friend by clapping him on the back.

Latin Americans hug.

The French kiss each other on the cheek.

Without knowing the national characteristics of gestures, you can find yourself in an awkward position. For example, in Bulgaria, the gestural signs for “yes” and “no” are the opposite of the common European form, and representatives of the indigenous population may misinterpret the answer to a question asked.

What should a Japanese think if a European, entering into a business conversation, does not shake his hand? He may believe that the interlocutor respects his national customs - in Japan it is not customary to shake hands. But, on the other hand, he may consider this disrespect for him personally - the Japanese knows that in the society to which the partner belongs, the gesture of a handshake is accepted.

Even similar gestures can be used differently in different national cultures. For example, in Hungary, a man always raises his hat when greeting, but in our country this is not at all necessary and is more typical for people of the older generation.

The handshake gesture when greeting in Bulgaria is used much more often than is customary here. There, when greeting a group of interlocutors, it is advisable to shake everyone’s hand. This is not necessary for us.

Thus, a gesture can say a lot. In particular, characterize the person making the gesture in terms of national characteristics. For example, in Czechoslovakia, when listing something, the fingers are not bent into a fist, starting with the little finger, as is customary in our country, but, on the contrary, a clenched fist is “opened”, starting from the thumb, finger by finger. In the Russian environment, such a gesture immediately identifies a foreigner.

In some situations of speech etiquette there are more gestures, in others less. In some situations, complete replacement of cues is acceptable, in others it is not, and of course, each gesture has its own “style,” and each time a person chooses the most appropriate one in a given situation.

There are many examples of the national specificity of speech and non-speech behavior of different peoples. In China, even when talking about themselves, the Chinese manage to talk to you more about you than about themselves, as if retreating into the shadows, putting out a very delicate expression. But at the same time, the Chinese very carefully looks at how delicate you are, still able to insist on your interest in him.

In Japan, in conversations, people in every possible way avoid the words “no,” “I can’t,” “I don’t know,” as if these were some kind of curse words, something that cannot be expressed directly, but only allegorically, in roundabout ways. Even when refusing a second cup of tea, the guest, instead of “no, thank you,” uses an expression that literally means “I’m already fine.”

If a Tokyo acquaintance says: “Before responding to your proposal, I must consult with my wife,” then one should not think that he is a champion of women's equality. This is just one way to avoid saying the word “no.”

In the speech etiquette of different nations there are many completely different, unique expressions, but even similar ones (like please and please) are still not completely identical. From an American point of view, our please has forty thousand different shades of meaning and is as similar to the English please as, for example, the phrase “I love you, dear” is to the phrase “Let's get married.”

In essence, each language is a unique national system of signs. In speech etiquette, the specific habits and customs of the people are superimposed on the national specifics of the language. Therefore, a kind of phraseology develops in the forms of speech etiquette.

The peculiarities of Russian etiquette can be seen in the composition of sentences and their writing.

• · synonyms are words with the same or very similar meaning (company - organization, agreement - contract, request - application, grateful - grateful,...);
• · pleonasms - called partial coincidence of the meanings of words that form a phrase;
• · tautology - semantic repetitions that arise in cases where words of the same root are adjacent in a sentence;
• · Homonyms are words that sound the same but differ in meaning.

The concept of the stylistic coloring of a word is usually associated with the assignment of the word to a particular sphere of use and with the emotional and expressive qualities of the word, i.e. with his ability not only to name a phenomenon, but also to express an attitude towards the subject of thought.

The area of ​​use varies:

• 1. Interstyle vocabulary, i.e. those words that are used by everyone and in any conditions (quality, receive, offer...).
• 2. Book and written vocabulary, i.e. words that are primarily used in book and written styles and are associated with those areas of language use for which the written form of expression is the main one. In its composition one can distinguish “book” words (payment, agreement, contract...), terms (catalog - a magazine indicating the goods produced by the enterprise), clericalism, poetism.
• 3. Vocabulary of oral speech, i.e. words inherent in everyday speech, everyday business language, etc. The vocabulary of oral speech includes colloquial words, colloquial words, professionalisms, jargon, dialectisms.

Word abbreviations (abbreviations) are a new productive way of word production, which is actively used in business correspondence.

Phraseology of a language is a set of stable, holistic in composition and meaning combinations of words and expressions. In business correspondence, the role of phraseological units is performed by standard syntactic structures, which are divided into:

Request letter: “We would be grateful if you would send us…” etiquette requirement speech activity

Response to request: “Thank you for your request from...”

Letter of request: “We ask you to…”

Reminder letter: “We inform you that...”

Covering letter: “According to your request, we are sending you...”

Notification letter: “In response to your letter from ... we inform you...”

Invitation letter: “Allow me to invite you to…”

Letter of gratitude: “We have received your invitation to….., for which we are grateful.”

The Russian language has a relatively free order of words in a sentence. This means that the members of a sentence do not have a fixed place (as in some other languages) and their relative position can change depending on the type of sentence or at the will of the speaker. The rearrangement of words in order to emphasize the semantic significance of a word is called inversion.

Inversion is an important stylistic device. Its importance increases in writing, since the writer is deprived of the opportunity to highlight the desired word with intonation. A thoughtful change in the order of words allows the writer to draw the reader’s attention to a particular word and thereby highlight important points in the content of the statement.

A sentence may contain phrases that are not members of it, but perform a certain semantic function. This includes introductory words (to our great regret, in addition, in this regard).

In business correspondence, complex sentences are more common than simple ones. Difficult sentence allows you to connect a large number of words into a single whole and thereby express a more complex thought - emphasize important semantic shades, give arguments, give a detailed justification of the main provisions, etc. In addition, the use of conjunctions and allied words makes it possible to accurately determine those semantic relationships that that exist between the individual parts of a detailed utterance.

In business letters, in addition to introductory words, participial and adverbial phrases are often used, which also introduce semantic nuances.

In general, consumption similar designs in business speech is not a mistake. But in some cases the proposal should be simplified.

Etiquette communication plays a big role in the life of each of us, but, of course, human communication does not at all come down to rituals alone.

Etiquette situations make up only some part of communication.

All human activity, including communication, reflects the social conditions in which it occurs. And our speech, undoubtedly, is structured differently depending on who is communicating, for what purpose, in what way, and what kind of relationship there is between those communicating. We are so accustomed to changing the type of speech depending on the conditions of communication that we most often do it unconsciously, automatically. The perception of information about human relationships conveyed by the peculiarities of speech also occurs automatically. But as soon as we make a mistake in choosing the type of speech, the automaticity of perception is disrupted and we immediately notice something that previously eluded our attention. Speech fluctuates in rhythm with human relationships - this is etiquette modulation of speech. Special etiquette communication occurs, as we already know, only from time to time, but modifications (modulation) of speech and non-speech behavior under the influence of human relationships always occur. This means that this is one of the most important means of expressing etiquette content - a means that is always at our disposal

- I'm sorry!
Unfortunately, we often hear this form of address. Speech etiquette and communication culture- not very popular concepts in the modern world. One will consider them too decorative or old-fashioned, while another will find it difficult to answer the question of what forms of speech etiquette are found in his everyday life.

• Content:

Meanwhile, the etiquette of verbal communication plays a vital role for a person’s successful activity in society, his personal life and the building of strong family and friendly relationships.

The concept of speech etiquette

Speech etiquette is a system of requirements (rules, norms) that explain to us how to establish, maintain and break contact with another person in a certain situation. Speech etiquette norms are very diverse, each country has its own peculiarities of communication culture.

• speech etiquette - a system of rules

It may seem strange why you need to develop special rules of communication and then stick to them or break them. And yet, speech etiquette is closely related to the practice of communication; its elements are present in every conversation. Compliance with the rules of speech etiquette will help you competently convey your thoughts to your interlocutor and quickly achieve mutual understanding with him.

Mastery etiquette of verbal communication requires acquiring knowledge in the field of various humanitarian disciplines: linguistics, psychology, cultural history and many others. To more successfully master communication culture skills, they use such a concept as speech etiquette formulas.

Speech etiquette formulas

The basic formulas of speech etiquette are learned at an early age, when parents teach their child to say hello, say thank you, and ask for forgiveness for mischief. With age, a person learns more and more subtleties in communication, masters different styles of speech and behavior. The ability to correctly assess a situation, start and maintain a conversation with a stranger, and competently express one’s thoughts distinguishes a person of high culture, education and intelligence.

Speech etiquette formulas- these are certain words, phrases and set expressions used for three stages of conversation:

• starting a conversation (greeting/introduction)
• main part
• final part of the conversation

Starting a conversation and ending it

Any conversation, as a rule, begins with a greeting; it can be verbal and non-verbal. The order of greeting also matters. youngest first greets the elder, the man greets the woman, the young girl greets the adult man, and the junior greets the elder. We list in the table the main forms of greeting the interlocutor:

IN ending a call use formulas for stopping communication and parting. These formulas are expressed in the form of wishes (all the best, all the best, goodbye), hopes for further meetings (see you tomorrow, I hope to see you soon, we’ll call you), or doubts about further meetings (goodbye, farewell).

Main part of the conversation

Following the greeting, a conversation begins. Speech etiquette provides for three main types of situations in which various speech formulas of communication are used: solemn, mournful and work situations. The first phrases spoken after the greeting are called the beginning of the conversation. There are often situations when the main part of the conversation consists only of the beginning and the ending of the conversation that follows.

• speech etiquette formulas - stable expressions

A solemn atmosphere and the approach of an important event require the use of speech patterns in the form of an invitation or congratulations. The situation can be either official or informal, and the situation determines what formulas of speech etiquette will be used in the conversation.

A mournful atmosphere in connection with events that bring grief suggests condolences expressed emotionally, not routinely or dryly. In addition to condolences, the interlocutor often needs consolation or sympathy. Sympathy and consolation can take the form of empathy, confidence in a successful outcome, and be accompanied by advice.

In everyday life, the work environment also requires the use of speech etiquette formulas. Brilliant or, conversely, improper performance of assigned tasks can become a reason for criticism or reproach. When carrying out orders, an employee may need advice, for which it will be necessary to make a request to a colleague. There is also a need to approve someone else’s proposal, give permission for implementation or a reasoned refusal.

The request must be extremely polite in form (but without ingratiation) and understandable to the addressee; the request must be made delicately. When making a request, it is advisable to avoid the negative form and use the affirmative. Advice should be given uncategorically; giving advice will be an incentive to action if it is given in a neutral, delicate form.

For fulfilling a request, providing a service, helpful advice It is customary to express gratitude to your interlocutor. Also an important element in speech etiquette is compliment. It can be used at the beginning, middle and end of a conversation. Tactful and timely, it lifts the mood of the interlocutor and encourages a more open conversation. A compliment is useful and pleasant, but only if it is a sincere compliment, said with a natural emotional overtones.

Speech etiquette situations

The key role in the culture of speech etiquette is played by the concept situation. Indeed, depending on the situation, our conversation can change significantly. In this case, communication situations can be characterized by a variety of circumstances, for example:

• personalities of the interlocutors
• place
• time
• motive

Personalities of the interlocutors. Speech etiquette is focused primarily on the addressee - the person being addressed, but the personality of the speaker is also taken into account. Taking into account the personality of the interlocutors is implemented on the principle of two forms of address - “You” and “You”. The first form indicates the informal nature of communication, the second - respect and greater formality in the conversation.

A place of communication. Communication in a certain place may require the participant to have specific rules of speech etiquette established for that place. Such places can be: a business meeting, a social dinner, a theater, a youth party, a restroom, etc.

In the same way, depending on the topic of conversation, time, motive or purpose of communication, we use different conversational techniques. The topic of conversation can be joyful or sad events; the time of communication can be conducive to being brief or to an extensive conversation. Motives and goals are manifested in the need to show respect, express a friendly attitude or gratitude to the interlocutor, make an offer, ask for a request or advice.

Any national speech etiquette makes certain demands on representatives of its culture and has its own characteristics. The very appearance of the concept of speech etiquette is associated with an ancient period in the history of languages, when each word was given a special meaning, and faith in the effect of the word on the surrounding reality was strong. And the emergence of certain norms of speech etiquette is due to the desire of people to bring about certain events.

But the speech etiquette of different nations is also characterized by some common features, with differences only in the forms of implementation speech norms etiquette. Each cultural and linguistic group has formulas for greeting and farewell, and respectful addresses to elders in age or position. In a closed society, a representative of a foreign culture, unfamiliar with the peculiarities national speech etiquette, appears to be an uneducated, poorly brought up person. In a more open society, people are prepared for differences in the speech etiquette of different nations; in such a society, imitation of a foreign culture of speech communication is often practiced.

Speech etiquette of our time

In the modern world, and even more so in the urban culture of the post-industrial and information society, the concept of the culture of verbal communication is changing radically. The speed of changes occurring in modern times threatens the very traditional foundations of speech etiquette, based on the idea of ​​​​the inviolability of social hierarchy, religious and mythological beliefs.

Study of norms speech etiquette in the modern world turns into practical purpose, focused on achieving success in a specific act of communication: if necessary, attract attention, demonstrate respect, inspire trust in the addressee, his sympathy, create a favorable climate for communication. However, the role of national speech etiquette remains important - knowledge of the peculiarities of foreign speech culture is a mandatory sign of fluency in a foreign language.

Russian speech etiquette in circulation

Main feature Russian speech etiquette One can call it its heterogeneous development throughout the existence of Russian statehood. Serious changes in the norms of Russian language etiquette occurred at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The previous monarchical system was distinguished by the division of society into classes from nobles to peasants, which determined the specifics of treatment in relation to the privileged classes - master, sir, master. At the same time, there was no uniform appeal to representatives of the lower classes.

As a result of the revolution, the previous classes were abolished. All addresses of the old system were replaced by two - citizen and comrade. The citizen's appeal has acquired a negative connotation; it has become the norm when used by prisoners, criminals, and detainees in relation to representatives of law enforcement agencies. The address comrade, on the contrary, was fixed in the meaning of “friend”.

During communism, only two types of address (and in fact, only one - comrade), formed a kind of cultural and speech vacuum, which was informally filled with such addresses as man, woman, uncle, auntie, guy, girl, etc. They remained and after the collapse of the USSR, however, in modern society they are perceived as familiarity, and indicate a low level of culture of the one who uses them.

In post-communist society, the previous types of address gradually began to reappear: gentlemen, madam, mister, etc. As for the address comrade, it is legally enshrined as an official address in law enforcement agencies, the armed forces, communist organizations, and in the collectives of factories.

In preparing the article, materials from the Online Encyclopedia Around the World and the RGUI Library were used.