Lexico-grammatical means of creating the image of state power in Vasily Aksyonov's novel Moscow saga

The mechanisms of speech influence of high-ranking state officials (in Vasily Aksyonov’s trilogy Moscow Saga) are identified, analyzed and systematized from the linguistic point of view: constructions with direct speech (of Joseph Stalin and Lavrentiy Beria) are analyzed, the role and place of lexical and grammatical units used for depicting the image of state power and the implementation of the author’s pragmatics are determined. The method of philological text analysis (in particular, semantico-stylistic and contextual methods) was used in the study. The stylistic features of the functioning of pronouns, proper names and finite verb forms in Stalin’s and Beria’s speech are examined: the use of personal (we/you), possessive (our/your) pronouns and proper names, showing the remoteness or proximity of certain people to the leader and his relation to them (they act as a differentiating element between two sides: “I” + “my environment” = “us”; “all others” = “them”); the demonstrative pronoun “this” is one of the Stalin’s favorites (among other reasons, he uses it for strengthening the indication on the subject of speech and as an expression of neglect). The confidants are referred to by their first names without surnames, the party members - as “comrades”, and all other people - by structures of the following type: a common noun + a proper name (first name + patronymic are used in respectful forms of address). Present tense verbs used for describing currently important and usually repetitive actions characterize the speech of Stalin and Beria. Another means of characterizing the characters are the author’s words that accompany the act of speaking (Beria seems more emotionally agile to the author, so he uses descriptive verbs with more negative connotations for creating the image of this character). Categorical meaning and lexical semantics intertwine in grammatical forms. The semantic functions of grammatical forms are associated with the speaker’s intentions, with his communicative goals, so the study of the meaning and function of the grammatical form is impossible without the analysis of contextual conditions. The language possesses the most important property to transfer the attitude of native speakers and their vision of the events within categorical and grammatical relations. Grammatical categories are actively used for depicting the image of state power in Vasiliy Aksyonov’s Moscow Saga.