Subject Structure of Texts on New Reality

Abstract

The article demonstrates the potential of Prof. G.A. Zolotova’s functional and communicative grammar in analysis of texts on new reality regarding subjects involved in this reality. The author examines different genres – from news to philosophical essay – dwelling upon high technologies and digitalization. The subject structure of a text includes communicative frame (sender and recipient) and in-text subjects (human and non-human) which receive different predicates from the author constructing his textual world. The linguistic analysis of the text’s subject structure allows one to reveal the author’s point of view, the properties of his desirable world and ideas critical for the epoque. The analysis of the characteristics predicated to different types of subjects as well as the linguistic means of expression or elimination of these subjects helps to see these critical ideas activization of non-human “intelligent” devices acquiring independence and intentionality together with deindividualization and disembodiment of human subjects. The ideology of independency and personalization of machines and “dissolution” of human subjects is expressed both by language-specific means and lexicogrammar ones, common for Russian and other languages.