Vol. 28 No. 1 (36) (2024)

The increasingly growing relevance and attractiveness of business and corporate discourses as an object of study by researchers, can be attributed to placing discourse in the heart of business activities aimed at profit maximization through successful negotiations, productive communication at meetings, building lasting relationships with all stakeholders via improved communication practices at workplaces, the marketplace, stock exchanges and anywhere business is concerned. This paper aims at revealing some consistent pragmalinguistic strategies used in corporate discourse and its role in promoting corporate image and identity. Annual reports, being a powerful tool for building a strong motivation, involvement and bond between the company and its stakeholders, served as a study material. Through a detailed discourse analysis based on the annual reports of some companies, we focus on the use of the most common linguistic and pragmatic strategies by the speech writers for projecting the desired image and influencing the target audience’s decisions. The paper findings come to verify the existing opinions on the complex and multilayered nature of corporate discourse and eventually increase the target audience’s competence of correctly decoding the received information.

The article studies prosecutor Jerry Blackwell’s and Derek Chauvin’s defense lawyer Eric Nelson’s opening statements on George Floyd’s death case. George Floyd’s death caused a furor around the world giving rise to the “Black Lives Matter” movement. This court case is the prosecution of the police officer, Derek Chauvin, who kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck till the latter stopped moving. The jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of state murder and he was sentenced to twenty-two and a half years for second-degree manslaughter. The choice of appropriate linguistic elements employed in the statements are studied, to understand which can help one of the parties to win the case. Our preliminary observations of the case text under investigation have brought us to the firm belief that it is of paramount importance to study not only the rhetorical aspect of the lawyer’s speech but also the nature of the linguistic and discourse material employed in it to serve the accomplishment of the persuasive impact on the jury and the audience at large. We have applied the methodology of discourse, rhetorical, and linguistic analyses taking into account comparisons between the speeches to reveal the persuasive, convincing linguistic elements that make a powerful impact on the jury.

The paperxplores the complex process of translation of English euphemisms intormenian, emphasizing the difficulties  involved. Euphemisms, which aim to soften the impact of sensitive topics, pose challenges in translation due to cultural, historical, and linguistic differences between the two languages. In the realm of political discourse, euphemisms serve as strategic linguistic tools, carefully employed to influence public opinion, mask controversial actions, or mitigate diplomatic tensions. The article discusses the methods that translators use to preserve the meaning of the original, and it also attempts to identify the techniques, which are applied when solving the problem of equivalency.

The article discusses the epithet as an inseparable part of the artistic-figurative system of Spanish fantasy fairy tales, by means of which certain features of the linguistic thinking of the people are expressed. The analysis categorizes epithets and epithetical phrases into groups, such as epithets describing the place of actions of fairy tale characters, epithets describing characters’ appearances and states of mind, epithets describing natural scenery, etc. In Spanish fantasy fairy tales, epithets are filled with vivid imagery, deep emotionality, and expressiveness, and they hold great cognitive and aesthetic value. The study found that the descriptive fixed epithets are characteristic of the pictorial structure of these tales. They reveal the character of the heroes with their emotional tones and the narrator's subjective assessments of the fairy tale world.

The paper touches upon the importance of using the psycholinguistic experiment as a means of studying linguistic facts. The experimental method of psycholinguistic investigation assists in the process of guided study of linguistic evidence presented by the participants.  It tests models of how the brain and the human cognition systems carry out perception, production and representation of language. The experiment of free associations is a key to success in understanding the essence of English words denoting emotions as linguistic facts. It should be mentioned that the obtained results can be expanded on other categories of language, as well.

This article examines the gender aspect of the emotional linguistic personality in English “everyday” jokes. The features of the emotional level of a gender linguistic personality are considered, the psychophysiological mechanisms of differences in the emotive behavior of men and women and the ways of expressing these differences in verbal communication are explained. The linguistic features (evaluative lexis, emotional intensifiers, interjections, neologisms) of the emotional level of speech of men and women are studied, and the psychophysiological differences in their emotive behavior are explained. At the morphological level, nouns, adjectives, pronouns, and verbs are considered. Despite the fact that in the West gender studies have already taken a strong place among scientific disciplines, as for gender studies in Armenia, this is one of the relatively new academic disciplines.

The purpose of this article is to consider the strategies of digital diplomacy as a new means of communication, the linguistic features of communication platforms, as well as the functional features of discursive genres of diplomatic communication in the virtual space. The relevance of the study is also due to the insufficient coverage in the linguistic literature of new genres and communication strategies of digital diplomacy. The current level of the development of diplomatic discourse using IT technologies on the Internet allows us to talk about the emergence of digital diplomacy as a new form of diplomatic discourse. Each website of a diplomatic department must have a link to official accounts on various social networks. The list of social networks used is varied, but the main ones in digital diplomacy are Facebook and Twitter, which offer users a wide range of communication opportunities. Digital diplomacy is changing the rules of the game in international relations. The use of networks has changed the practice of information and analytical work of diplomats, strategy planning, implementation  of protocol events and organization of negotiations. Employees of foreign policy departments and international organizations act as organizers of online discussions, which  allows them to directly influence the perception of information content by the target audience.

This work explores the expression of the singular form of nouns through a comparison of three languages: Modern Eastern Armenian, Russian, and German. It is presented not only as one aspect of the opposition between singular and plural forms but also as an exploration of the multi-meaningful use of nouns. The study highlights common features of this category in these languages, as well as distinctive characteristics of each. The analysis of numerous examples reveals that each of these three languages, with its specific lexical and grammatical features, tends to use the singular form of the noun more frequently than the plural, giving the concept a broader and more general character. From a semantic perspective, the singular form of the noun is polysemous not only in Armenian but also in German and Russian. From a structural standpoint, both marked and synthetic forms are commonly used.

The paper discusses the role and significance of the term "concept" in modern linguistics. Many linguists have referred to the definition of the concept, emphasising the national mentality, language thinking, historical developments and cultural-linguistic features in order to study the linguistic material and to reveal the content expressed by the language units. Taking into account the theoretical basis of the study of concepts, this paper discusses the semantic content of the cultural-linguistic concept of "success" in order to highlight the importance of the phenomenon of success in real life. The tendency to succeed and be successful is characteristic of all times. The material of the research is the definitions and interpretations of the concept of "success" presented by the famous American and British people of different eras. The paper also presents the necessary conditions for success, secrets and ways to achieve success. Summarising the points of view presented in the studied examples, it should be noted that the semantic characteristic of the linguistic and cultural concept of "success" implies the presence of a number of human qualities, such as self-confidence, courage, perseverance and consistency, which ensure progress, well-being, fame and wealth. The analysis of the dictionary meanings of the word "success" and the proposed definitions of the cultural-linguistic concept of "success" and the identification of the semantic content are accompanied by the study of the syntagmatic peculiarities of the word "success".

Effective questioning plays a significant role in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction. Well-crafted questions stimulate student interaction and engagement, boosting their language learning experience in meaningful ways. The paper examines the potential of integrating questioning techniques into teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP)/English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and offers guidance for designing communicative tasks that foster the development of foundational critical thinking abilities. It discusses the importance of higher-order thinking in nurturing inquisitive and independent learners and highlights the role of student-generated queries in enhancing creativity, autonomy and problem-solving skills.

This paper highlights the strategic significance of collaborative writing with a specific focus on academic writing in English for Specific Purposes at the university level. It addresses challenges encountered by teachers and students and presents practical approaches, emphasizing the benefits of incorporating collaborative writing to enhance the development of writing skills within syllabus constraints. The study reviews various approaches to collaborative writing and explores the possibility of considering the inclusion of artificial intelligence as a partner in collaborative writing. The paper also illustrates Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences applicable in collaborative writing, underscoring the significance of eight cognitive intelligences. Grouping students based on individual strengths encourages communication, fosters a conducive environment, and makes the process of cooperation more dynamic. As a practical application, the paper provides a tangible resource in the form of a detailed lesson plan tailored for an 80-minute class to further facilitate the process of integrating collaborative writing in an ESP class.

Higher education is experiencing significant changes due to technological advancements, learner-centered approaches, and evolving societal needs. This paper examines the urgent need for integrating critical thinking skills into Armenian higher education in light of AI-driven transformations and the country’s emerging AI industry.

To address the need for critical thinking (CT) skills, a comprehensive framework comprising Universal, Mixed, and Infusion approaches should be introduced in HEIs to offer various ways to nurture CT, from dedicated courses to integration across disciplines and the entire curriculum, as well as selected models such as Pearson's RED Model, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and the Paul-Elder Model as effective tools for promoting CT among students. These frameworks provide guidelines for recognizing assumptions, evaluating arguments and drawing conclusions, that enables students to engage critically with AI-generated insights.

Moreover, a holistic approach to the development of CT among students, who are not yet ‘AI natives’, is bound to the cultivation of a CT mindset characterized by integrity, autonomy, and empathy. This mindset enables students to approach AI with skepticism and fosters a culture of innovation and ethical decision-making.

The mentioned frameworks cannot generate the anticipated outcomes unless CT skills development becomes an integral part of the CPD of teaching staff on institutional and national level as well.

In conclusion, integrating critical thinking skills into the HEIs of Armenia is crucial in the AI-driven era. By adopting comprehensive approaches and fostering a critical thinking mindset among students, universities will prepare graduates capable of navigating the complexities of the modern world effectively.

Keywords: critical thinking skills, AI-driven transformation, CPD, learner-centeredness, critical thinking approaches and models, Active learning methods, evidence assessment.

1. In this paper, Washington Irving's authorial ''ego'', the founder of American romanticism, is studied. The article presents how the writer's personality and his works complement each other, parallelling and revealing their direct inter­connection, as well as considers some structural and content features of the writer's works, particularly short prose. The reserved, balanced and insightful type of the writer is clearly reflected especially in his short stories and novellas. There are no extremes either in his life or in his literary works. Irving's stories are characterized by calmness, lightness, delicacy, harmony, humor and deep meaning at the same time. The short prose of the author is dominated by descriptive passages, which are complemented by various details and illustrative scenes. However, there is almost always a lack of action here. The writer, being self-absorbed, also avoided writing long and boring texts, instead preferring brief but at the same time meaningful, smooth and beautiful speech. An impression is created that everything is real, and the reader is a direct witness of those scenes and images.

This article dwells upon the changes in American culture and especially in the overall landscape of American poetry in the 60s of the 20^th century. It focuses on the peculiar features of confessional poetry and prominent poets who followed that artistic movement in post-war America. The paper also touches upon Anne Sexton’s life, McLean – a hospital also conventionally known as America’s most literary mental institution, its patients as well as the poet’s mastery of poetic expression. The research focuses on conducting an analysis of select poems by Anne Sexton. Confessional poet Anne Sexton was among the first lyric poets that wrote about then-taboo subjects such as incest, adultery, drug addiction, etc.