Texts of natural written speech as an object of genre analysis: the problem of method

The article defines the methodological problems of constructing a model of the speech genre and suggests the way of solving them. The existing models of Text - Text components - Genre type are recognized as the main tool for the study and description of speech genres. It is argued that the speech genre description methodology in modern linguistics should be focused on the ideas of systematic construction. The principles of text analysis in the aspect of speech genre studies are determined and some errors of scientifically employed approaches are identified. The elimination of these errors will allow genre studies to shift to a new methodological principle of constructing a genre model that has a diagnostic potential. The current problematic issues of genre studies are formulated. As a productive technology for describing a speech genre, we propose a universal method of functional modelling, which will enable designing genres and their modules on the basis of regularity, obligation, and oppositional character. In order to solve the problem of genre description in the attributive aspect, that is, to determine its units, it is productive to analyze the genre applying the so-called communicative semiotic model, as well as the method of transformational-and-oppositional analysis. The proposed principle of genre description is postulated as a method of objective modelling. Thus, within the framework of this study, the analysis of the theoretical problems of modern genre studies is carried out, the objectives of speech genres investigation are formulated and the approaches to their achieving are presented in an overview.