The article discusses approaches to the description of the phatic communication domain and the connection between the concept of phatics and the theory of speech genres. The proposed consideration of the concept of phatics is based on the fundamental difference between the approaches to phatics by B. Malinowski and by R. Jakobson. Reliance on the function of contact maintenance makes it possible to identify a separate group of linguistic means that formalize speech subgenres of microdialogue.