Exploitation of Schemata in Persuasive and Manipulative Discourse in English, Polish and Russian

Book excerpt: Human beings have an intrinsic need to be with people who are similar to themselves. This is because they share the same ways of doing things, the same values, and function according similar rules. When one is with people who tend to be similar, human behavior is normalized, and one’s actions appear to be in accordance with those exhibited by others in one’s social circle. However, sometimes it becomes apparent that the situation is somewhat more complex. When this happens, one realizes that the issues that have been taken for granted about human interaction are not necessarily the same for everyone. This book elucidates what happens in the processes of communication when people from different cultural backgrounds experience other cultures. Emphasis is also given to the issue of interaction between people from various cultures. The book highlights the aspects that are recognized to posit difficulties in conveying messages from one culture to another. The notions of schemata, frames, scenarios and cultural scripts are outlined. The third part of the book examines some principles of critical discourse analysis, including, for instance, socio-political attitude, as well as concentrating on the notion of power relations of groups, legitimated by text as well as speech. This part also describes the concept of persuasion, as well as persuasive communication. The fourth part of the book is analytic. Attention is given to various discourses one encounters in everyday life and to the examination of various kinds of discourse, including for instance, complimenting, as well as political, discourse. As such, this book provides a new point of view for linguists as well as those interested in communication practice. The empirical part of the book will help shed some light on dilemmas people may be obliged to face in their career, and should be especially useful to students of intercultural communication.