Multiparadigmatic character of the petition genre in the mirror of modern linguistics (an analysis of online-petitions as a special kind of epistolary texts)

The article focuses on the multiparadigmatic approach in modern linguistic studies as a complex system of methodological principles. This principle is intended to use the latest achievements of various language disciplines for the purpose of quantitative and qualitative “augmentation” of the problem field and obtaining more well-grounded results. The aim of this paper is to analyze the multiparadigmatic potential of the complex epistolary genre. This form of texts is in demand in the space of contemporary interpersonal and social communication. The materials of the study are online petitions - messages addressed to representatives of the regional and national authorities, which are expressed in a variety of electronic epistolary texts of social orientation. Online petition is a unique empirical textual basis that permits to research into various fields of the humanities: from the standpoint of modern media-linguistics, semiotics, psycholinguistic theories of mass communication, speech influence and linguistic identity, certain aspect of discourse analysis and stylistic research within the framework of psychological, sociological and pragmalinguistics, rhetoric and speech culture theories. The Multiparadigmatic character of the epistolary genre can be conceptualized in ontological and epistemological aspects. On the one hand the epistolary genre is a multi-discourse, multi-functional multi-code form. On the other hand it is a reproducible text model crammed with clichés. Hence, epistemologically the genre requires an adequate complex approach. The conclusion is that the effectiveness of modern linguistic studies depends on appropriate use of multiparadigmatic approach based on a comprehensive analysis of linguistic facts from the perspective of various humanitarian fields and schools, applying various methods and techniques of research.