Religious Functional Style

Problems of Understanding Texts of Different Genres in Modern Orthodox Communication

Abstract

Religious functional style is an actual object of modern linguistic research. In Russian linguistics, various genres (sermon, confession, prayer, akathist) are actively studied, and attempts are made to systematize genres on different bases. One of the topical problems is the issue of understanding texts by addressees in the field of modern religious Orthodox communication. The purpose of this study is to describe the communicative situation in the religious sphere from the standpoint of the category of clarity of speech, taking into account the subjects of communication. The material of the study comprises the texts of modern Orthodox sermons, prayers, akathists. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study are the communicative-pragmatic and categorical-textual approaches, which allow us to identify genre-forming features of the analysed texts functioning in Russian and Church Slavonic languages. The article points out the following aspects influencing the understanding of sacred texts in modern Orthodox communication. First, the special role of the Church Slavonic language in which liturgical texts were written: the problem of translating texts into vernacular languages is solved for missionary purposes to attract foreign-speaking audiences, but not for Russian-speaking parishioners; the study of the Church Slavonic language in a religiously oriented environment is at a high level but is not systematic everywhere. Second, the subgenres of traditional exegetical preaching (exegetical sermon proper, exegetical sermon-lecture, and exegetical sermon-lesson) are developing depending on the type of audience: the subgenres are designed for an ecclesiastical audience with different levels of theological training (well-prepared, moderately or poorly prepared), knowledge of ancient languages (Ancient Greek, Church Slavonic), and a high level of motivation to study the Holy Scriptures. Sermons are delivered in Russian in various communicative situations, that is, during divine service, at secular events (concerts, stadiums), using technical means, on the internet, on radio and television, and are designed for different types of addressees, the main criterion being the level of churchgoing. Third, an important aspect in understanding sacred texts is the recipient’s assimilation of a dogmatically correct worldview. The texts of akathists and personal prayers, which are mass-produced in the modern Orthodox environment, are often characterized by the translation of folk axiology, which dogmatically misinterprets the canonical provisions of the Church.