Structural patterns and communicative roles of vocatives in Early Modern English correspondence

Куц, Аліна Геннадіївна (2025) Structural patterns and communicative roles of vocatives in Early Modern English correspondence Причорноморські філологічні студії (8). pp. 145-149. ISSN 2786-8192

Text A_Kuts_PPhS_25.pdf - Published Version Download (314kB)

Abstract

The article presents a thorough analysis of epistolary vocatives in Early Modern English correspondence from the perspective of their structural and pragmatic characteristics. The study demonstrates that the examined forms of address functioned to establish tone, levels of formality, and the social dynamics typical of Early Modern English communication. Attention is also given to the variety of vocative patterns and their contextual features, as well as their key role in realizing strategies of politeness, intimacy, or authority, thereby reflecting hierarchical relationships and corresponding social norms. In the analyzed texts, vocatives are essential functional elements, carrying significant semantic distinctions and playing an important communicative role in the relationship between sender and recipient.The lack of a structural marker for vocatives in English accounts for their syntactic flexibility. Speakers employed various noun phrases and characteristic intonation patterns to express direct address, thereby enhancing the emotional and relational context of the message.Additionally, the article reveals the pragmatic significance of vocatives as a means of expressing the speaker’s intentions and attitude toward the addressee. Each vocative carries a socially conditioned level of respect, and its omission or substitution can alter the speaker’s communicative intent. Correspondence between such influential figures as John Manners and Bess, the dowager Countess of Shrewsbury, as well as the letters of Anne Boleyn to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, illustrate the personalization of interaction and the creation of emotional contact through the use of vocatives. The research material highlights the role of epistolary vocatives in setting the appropriate tone and engaging the addressee, offering valuable insights into the cultural and communicative practices of Early Modern English society.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	epistolary vocative; address forms; communicative intent; addresser; addressee; initial and medieval position; correspondence
Subjects:	Статті у періодичних виданнях > Фахові (входять до переліку фахових, затверджений МОН)
Divisions:	Факультет романо-германської філології > Кафедра англійської мови та комунікації
Depositing User:	Аліна Геннадіївна Куц
Date Deposited:	01 Dec 2025 11:47
Last Modified:	01 Dec 2025 11:47
URI:	https://elibrary.kubg.edu.ua/id/eprint/54027

Actions (login required)

View Item