Diminutive forms in the aspect of intercultural communication

Abstract

The article represents the essential features of diminutives in the Russian and English languages and their impact on intercultural communication. We analyze the types of diminutives in English and Russian, the specifics of their perception and interpretation by representatives of the two cultures, as well as their influence on the communication of speakers of different languages. The article contains examples of diminutive forms’ functions in speech, which demonstrate how these forms affect the perception and understanding of information. The article defines such key concepts as “intercultural communication”, “diminutive forms” and presents the characteristics of the forms in English and Russian in their lexical and grammatical aspects, illustrated by examples. The article considers cases of intercultural communicative failures associated with ignorance of the specifics of the word-formative forms’ functions, diminutives in particular, and their cultural context. Diminutive forms are a kind of special emotionality indicators inherent in the nature of the Russian people, therefore, when teaching Russian as a foreign language, it is necessary to pay special attention to the word-building forms that have additional connotations. The results of our research can be used by linguists, teachers of foreign languages and anyone interested in the issues of intercultural communication.