PRAGMATIC AND LINGUOCULTURAL FUNCTIONS OF PARALINGUISTIC MEANS IN SPEECH ACTS

This article explores the functional and cultural significance of paralinguistic means in the formation and interpretation of speech acts within the framework of modern pragmatics and communicative linguistics. It argues that paralinguistic elements—such as gestures, facial expressions, intonation and tone are not merely supplementary tools but essential communicative components that shape illocutionary force and pragmatic meaning. The paper emphasizes the role of cultural context in determining the interpretation of these means and highlights their variability across linguistic communities. Through linguistic and literary examples, including a close analysis of an excerpt from F. S. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the study demonstrates how paralinguistic features contribute to expressive, directive, representative, and interrogative speech acts. The findings suggest that integrating an understanding of paralinguistic communication into foreign language teaching and intercultural communication training is crucial for developing pragmatic competence and enhancing communicative effectiveness.