variability

This work is done within the framework of the theory of speech genres. The article raises the problem of differentiation of variability of speech genres and homonymy. In the example of different texts comments seeks to identify variants and of similar genres. There are cases of the use of "masks" of the genre for the realizing the texts of other genres. As a criterion for distinguishing, use the parameters of genres.

Modern linguists are trying to solve the problem of determining the boundaries of the genre, its variability or transition to another genre. But until now this issue remains controversial. The article is devoted to the problem of the functioning of the speech genre in various spheres of communication.

The article deals with the controversial problem of  variability in the speech genre. Briefly, different approaches to understanding the variant in linguistic literature are highlighted. On the example of comparison of well-studied appeal genres in political discourse and slogan in the advertising discourse, they are offered an understanding of them as variants of one genre. The authors’ point of view is justified by the coincidence of the communicative goal (illocutionary function) and a minor modification of other genre-forming features.

The review is a response to the publication of the monograph by M. A. Kanturov and T. I. Staksova “Productivity and variability of speech genres”. The authors represent the Russian speech-and -genre space as a complicated non-rigid system, the units of which are interconnected by the relations of derivation and variability. The relevance of the study is justified by the need to develop models that summarize numerous empirical observations on the structure and functioning of individual genres and groups of genres.

The article proves the possibility of researching the written speech genre from the perspective of linguistic variant studies and their description by means of the opposition ‘invariant ∼ variants’.