THE DUAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF THREAT AS A SPEECH ACT

Abstract

The speech act of threat is a complex communicative phenomenon that exhibits features of both commissive and directive acts. Classical interpretations classify it as a commissive act, while other scholars emphasize its directive nature, highlighting the demand aspect inherent in a threat. Modern research, including Wierzbicka, Schelinger, Pocheptsov, Gotlib, and Volf, demonstrates that a threat’s semantics combines the expression of potential negative consequences with the speaker’s intention to influence the addressee’s behavior. Pragmatic analysis identifies key components: the addressee’s non-compliance, the speaker’s capability and intention, and the social goal underlying the threat. Consequently, the speech act of threat should be considered a dual-component, context-dependent phenomenon, integrating directive, commissive, and expressive elements.