SPECIFIC FEATURES OF THE NON-VERBAL COMPONENT OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION (ON THE EXAMPLE OF RUSSIAN TV SHOWS)
The article explores the non - verbal component on the material of political television communication. The author focuses on a number of issues related to the peculiarities of the influence upon the listener of the non - verbal component in the political environment in the context of media discourse. Specifically, the author singles out elements of non - verbal kinds of communication. They are classified both from the point of view of types of non - verbal means of communication (kinesics, oculesiks, gestures, etc.) and from the point of view of their meaning in the given context. The latter if compared with the meaning registered in the dictionaries of gestures and other non - verbal signs. Video fragments of modern Russian television communication, namely interviews of political leaders and TV presenters, were chosen as the material of the study. Methodologically, the author relies on the achievements and categories of linguistic semantics, pragmatics, theory of speech genres, and text theory. The aim of the current study is to reveal the motivation to use certain non - verbal units by speakers, to identify their influence on the addressee, and to compare the perception of the gestures, demonstrated by the participants in political debate, outside political discourse. The study shows that politicians demonstrate a whole set of gestures and facial expressions, which differs from everyday communication. Within the framework of political discourse, the pragmatic, social and emotional components form the profile of the communicant, which allows speaking about their personal idiostyle. Thus, the image that the communicant lays down has a direct influence on the interlocutor, deliberately manipulating them. This makes it possible to speak about effective communication, which is facilitated by the whole complex of the non - verbal signs. By acting pragmatically, these components form the image of a politician, which they use for pragmatic purposes in the context of political discourse.