Discourse complex <i>i da</i> ‘and yes’ as a dialogue actualizer in modern Russian speech

Abstract

The article examines semantic and pragmatic features of the discursive complex i da (“and yes”). The relevance of the research is explained by the active inclusion of i da in contemporary speech practice, various genres and styles over the past decade, which was not observed before. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the element i da becomes the object of linguistic analysis for the first time. This study contributes to the understanding of the discursive complex i da in the context of modern linguistic practices. The findings of this research can be beneficial for further linguistic studies and practical applications. The element i da is not recorded in dictionaries and reference books, which also testifies to the novelty of the material presented in the article, which was extracted from the “National Corpus of the Russian Language”, the electronic media bank “Integrum”. The paper is also based to some degree on the personal observations of the authors. This study provides a fresh perspective on the linguistic element i da, contributing to the existing body of linguistic research. The research was conducted within the framework of the structural and descriptive method using semantic, syntactic, and contextual analysis. As a result, the main discursive role of the complex i da was established, i. e., maintaining the interactive nature of conversation through a ‘delayed response’ mechanism, which allows considering i da as a feedback marker. The discursive complex i da involves a real or potential (in the case of a monologue) interlocutor/opponent in the discourse, performing the role of a dialogic actualizer. The core seme of the complex (‘agreement’) can be explicitly supported by the context, and the addressee of the agreement can be not only the ‘other’ but also the speaker himself. The study reveals the rhetorical potential of i da in monologic speech. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of the discursive complex i da, highlighting its role in dialogic actualization and its rhetorical potential in monologic speech. The variants of punctuation design of the complex i da identified during the research indicate the need for its further study and the creation of a theoretical basis for subsequent codification in punctuation guides. The study proposes a hypothesis about the appearance of i da in Russian as a result of calquing English phrases and yes / and yeah, which are of international nature. This research emphasizes the importance of further investigation into the discursive complex i da, its punctuation variants, and its origins in the Russian language.