A COMPARATIVE PRAGMALINGUISTIC STUDY OF POLITE REQUESTS IN THE ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN LANGUAGES

Annotasiya

This study investigates the pragma linguistic features of polite requests in English and Russian within the framework of intercultural communication. The research focuses on how speakers of both languages formulate requests in different social and communicative situations and how politeness is expressed through linguistic forms. The study analyzes the influence of context, social distance, and level of formality on the choice of request strategies. Special attention is given to indirectness, mitigation devices, and culturally specific politeness patterns that characterize each language. The comparative approach allows identifying similarities and differences in the structure and function of polite requests.

The findings show that English speakers tend to use more indirect and softened request forms, while Russian speakers often employ more direct constructions that still follow culturally accepted norms of politeness. These differences may lead to misunderstanding in intercultural interaction if pragma linguistic competence is insufficient. The study highlights the importance of teaching pragma linguistic aspects of politeness in foreign language learning. Understanding how polite requests function in different languages helps learners communicate more appropriately and effectively in real-life situations.